pg 01-2 cover JFM03g4 § 10/31/02 8:11 AM Page 1

US
January/February/March, 2003 $5.95

Affirming Sanatana Dharma and Recording the Modern History of a Billion-Strong Global Religion in Renaissance

Dada J.P. Vaswani:

Hindu of the Year 2002

indra sharma
January/February/March, 2003 • Hindu Year 5104
Chitrabhanu, the Year of Varied Splendors

www.gurudeva.org
I N T E R N AT I O N A L
India Holds a Rare Renewal Ceremony 58
Feature Story: Celebrating the Prominence of Hindus Marriage: How a Russian-born Jewish Woman and an
in the Multicultural United Kingdom 18 Indian-American Immigrant Man Made it Work 62
Television: It’s a Potent Trend: New TV Channels in Books: Scripture, Hindu Basics, Pilgrimage to Mount
India Showcase Religion 30 Kailash and More 65
Transition: Swami Satchidananda
Attains Mahasamadhi at Age 87 39 OPINION
Hindu of the Year: Dada J.P. Vaswani Earns Our In My Opinion: Sheila Gayatri Evani’s Story of Two
2002 Hindu Renaissance Award 50 Months in Malaysia Helping 30 Orphans 9
Sri Lanka: Nallur Temple Festival Draws Publisher’s Desk: In a World Where Men Are
Hundreds of Thousands as Peace Talks Begin 54 Labeled Good or Evil, the Hindu Vision Helps 10
From the Vedas: Sacred Verses on Freedom
and Liberation 16
LIFESTYLE Letters 12
Insight: The Twelve Principal Beliefs of Saivism,
Illustrated, with a Concise Glossary 42
Kerala: Meet the Champions of Kerala’s DIGESTS
Waning Dramatic Art Forms 66 Diaspora 6 Digital Dharma 86
Temples: Famed Arunachaleswara Temple in South Quotes & Quips 14

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Pg 03-4 Gatefold JFM03 10/30/02 5:21 PM Page 3 Pg 05 Gatefold JFM03 10/30/02 3:45 PM Page 5

Nallur Kandaswami Temple Festival

Nearly every Jaffna peninsula citizen attends at least part of Nallur Temple’s 25-day annual
festival, Sri Lanka’s largest Hindu celebration. Tens of thousands outside the temple’s main
entrance watch as the great ropes which will pull Lord Murugan’s giant chariot unfurl
across the crowd. Everyone hopes to at least touch the rope, if they can’t find a spot to
actually help pull. This year’s festival commenced on the opening day of long-awaited
peace talks in Thailand working to end Sri Lanka’s 19-year-long civil war. . . . Page 54

b a b y p h o t o s j a f f na
Welcome
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An Audio Library
To the Editor Press International, a
Of Inspired Talks
(e-mail) Daily News Summary

Shoha Kirti Parekh treads
new ground as she educates
Miss America talent judges
in the refinements of
India dance
USA
Ganesha’s Big
New York Party
I t was ganesha chaturthi
2002 at New York’s famed Hin-
du Temple in Flushing. For nine
days from September 7 through
15, thousands turned up from all
around the world to join in this
favorite festival of Hinduism’s
wisest, friendliest, luckiest, most
jovial and famous God. Ganesha
was the star of the show. There
was little doubt about that. For
the entire nine days, a continu-
ous homa (fire ceremony) was
performed while a special
mantra for the Deity was chant-
ed 400,000 times. Highly
USA
Miss Delaware’s Dance
A nticipating a possible turn as miss america, miss
Delaware put on quite a show in the final competition for
America’s highest beauty honor. Although Shoha Kirti Parekh,
24, did not win, she was first to feature the classical Indian dance
of bharata natyam in a major show of talent. Indian ladies have
won six Miss Universe and Miss World crowns in the last seven
years. No Indian-Americans have yet become Miss America.
(Above) When Ganesha was decorated with popcorn by children
during Chaturthi Celebrations, He looked like the God Himself be-
medaled in jewels. (Inset) The same Deity redecorated in flowers.
(Left) Ganesha being paraded through the suburbs of Flushing.
clockwise from top left: laura farr/zuma press, dr. uma mysorekar
6 j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3 h i n d u i s m t o d ay
PA N A M A
Gulf Coast Worship
trained festival musicians were
flown in from Singapore to per- I t seems there is no place where the
world’s most ancient faith is not practiced.
form. More than 35,000 food
packets were distributed. Dur-
Hindu women give sanctified food offerings into
the ocean after ritual worship at a temporary
ing each of the nine days, the
Ganesha murti (statue) was
banyan tree shrine in Panama City on June 24,
2002, during the Vath Purnima festival.
newly and creatively decorated:
one day with peanuts, another
with tomatoes. On the day the
(Below) Happy Hindus in Panama pray for
the same husband for the next seven lives
children helped, He was artisti-
cally adorned in popcorn (see
photo below). The festival cul-
minated with a grand proces-
sion of the Deity through the
streets of Flushing.
Lord Siva dances in a carving from the Champa dynasty at one of the
temples of My Son in Vietnam where Hinduism once flourished
VIETNAM
The Indochina Connection
T he kingdom of champa in vietnam, which flourished from
the second to the 15th centuries, was strongly influenced by Hinduism.
Hindu temples were constructed, Sanskrit was used as a sacred language,
Indian art was idolized and Hindu Deities, especially Siva, were wor-
shiped. In fact, Lord Siva was regarded as the founder and protector of the
Champa dynasties. After the fall of Champa, most Hindus became Muslim,
yet continued the practice of some Hindu rituals and customs.
T R I N I DA D
Chinmaya Expands in West Indies
S wami tejomayanda, leader of the chinmaya mission
worldwide, personally opened another mission branch in
Trinidad on October 2, 2002, with a lecture based on the Bha-
gavad Gita. The Chinmaya Mission has been especially active in
Trinidad over the past four years, with primary concentration on
the country’s youth. Currently they teach Sanskrit language, Vedic
chanting and the traditional performance of puja (ritual worship),
often organizing special youth camps for classes.
Mama cow and calf seek tender loving care in Pennsylvania
USA
For the Care of the Cows
W hen dr. sankar sastri retired from his professorship
a few years back, he established the Lakshmi Cow Sanctuary
as a heartfelt service to his Hindu faith. Today on his 42 acres, he
provides a few cows—famously sacred to Hindus—a little solace
and protection from slaughter. Anyone interested in helping Dr.
Sankar can contact him at 1515 Ridge Road, Bangor, PA 18013. Chinmaya’s new Mission House at Calcutta No. 1 Road, McBean,
Phone: 610-599-8824. E-mail: sankar1@yahoo.com Trinidad, will feature a variety of classes and activities for youth
clockwise from top left: richard vogel/associated press, alberto lowe,
paras ramoutar, dr.sankar sastri j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 7
USA IN MY OPINION
Tamil Television
Goes Global Who’s Teaching Whom?
T he usa now has a 24-hour tv channel just
for Tamils. It’s called TVI and is already well-estab-
lished in Singapore, Sri Lanka, India, Malaysia, How two months with 30 children changed my life
throughout Europe and elsewhere around the world
wherever the Tamil diaspora has spread. With a satel- S H E I L A G AY AT R I E VA N I
lite receiver, a dish antenna and a $20 monthly fee, any- H I N DU R E NA I S SA NCE T E A M
one can get what TVI boldly proclaims to be “the best
the Tamil-speaking world has to offer.” Whether it be HINDUISM TODAY was founded January 5, 1979, am an ordinary hindu door plumbing and hot water.
movies, made-for-TV serials, world news, sports, med- by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami. It is a girl, born and raised in Ca- The children were a far cry from
ical education, computer instruction, beauty tips, cook- nonprofit educational activity of Himalayan nada. I have been blessed the ragged little delinquents I
ing clues, family counseling or interviews with artists, Academy with the following purposes: 1.To fos- with everything I ever really had expected. They were beauti-
movie stars and political leaders—even guided temple ter Hindu solidarity as a unity in diversity needed. My family is extraordi- ful, healthy and well-dressed. In

tours, complete with pilgrimage routes—TVI says it has
it all. For more information please go to
http://www.tviusa.net/
among all sects and lineages; 2. To inform and
Tamil movies are now available in the USA for just 81 cents a day from TVI, a inspire Hindus worldwide and people interest-
24-hour television channel created just for Tamils ed in Hinduism; 3. To dispel myths, illusions
and misinformation about Hinduism; 4. To pro-
tect, preserve and promote the sacred Vedas
GERMANY
and the Hindu religion; 5. To nurture and mon-
Keeping the itor the ongoing spiritual Hindu renaissance;
6. To publish a resource for Hindu leaders and
educators who promote Sanatana Dharma. Join
Faith in Style this seva by sending letters, clippings, reports on
events and encouraging others to subscribe.
h i n d u i s m t o d ay
nary, and they love me very fact, many of them were wearing
much. They instilled in me posi- better clothing than I was. From
tive values and a deep apprecia- the very beginning, I was
tion for our Hindu heritage. I touched by their generosity and
also have good friends who have warmth. It melted my heart that,
always supported me in my personal and although I was there to take care of them,
academic pursuits. Last year, I entered law
school on my way to the kind of career I have
they were very often the ones taking care of
me. All at once, they were like friends, sib-
always dreamed of. Yet with all of this, I felt
something was lacking.
lings, guardians and progeny.
The biggest problem I had in the ashram

E urope’s largest hindu

Saraswathy from Sri Lanka offers prayer before entering Europe’s largest Hindu temple
THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT HAS
approved spending us$88 mil-
lion for the further preservation
and development of India’s fa-
mous Ajanta Ellora Caves, al-
ready under renovation. The
Japanese financial aid will also
be used to improve other fa-
mous Indian monuments like
the Elephanta Caves.
THE WORLD’S LARGEST SOLAR
cooking system was set up in
September of 2002 at the popu-
lar Tirumala Tirupati temple in
Hyderabad, India. The system,
which will save the temple an
estimated us$35,000 a year, is
designed to cook 30,000 meals
a day with steam generated by
solar energy.
ONE COUPLE FROM CHENNAI HAS
spent the past 15 years cleaning
and renovating more than 50
South Indian temples. Inspired
by the words of Adi Sankara, B.
Rajesh, his wife Rajani, their
family and friends have be-
come famous for their uncom-
mon efforts in and around the
Kancheepuram district, just
south of Chennai. The best
news is they plan to keep per-
forming this selfless service.
CURCUMIN IS A KEY INGREDIENT
in many Indian curries and is
the compound that gives
turmeric its yellow tone. Long
known as an effective home
remedy in fighting infection
and improving digestion, it is
now being tested for use in
treating radiation burns and
even colon cancer. Researchers
claim evidence suggests that
members of the Asian commu-
nity who use the spice regularly
temple is finally open for
business in Hamm, West Ger-
many. Following much anticipa-
tion and two years of construc-
tion, the Sri Kamadchi Ampal
Temple was inaugurated in
grand ceremony on July 7,
2002. The temple priest-in-resi-
dence, Siva Sri Paskaraku-
rukkal, says that 300 devotees
visit the temple daily. Many of
these are Tamils relocated in
Germany as a result of Sri Lan-
ka’s long ethnic strife.
in cooking are better able to re-
sist colon cancer.
MISS AMERICA GOT IN TROUBLE
for publically advocating absti-
nence—but not for long. “I will
not be bullied,” said 22-year-old
Erika Harold, the winner of the
2003 crown, when pageant offi-
cials “strongly suggested” she
keep quiet on the principle of
sexual purity. The officials later
backed down, withdrawing
their suggestion. For years the
pageant has tried to improve
the image of Miss America to
include brains as well as beauty.
Now that they have succeeded,
they must deal with the results.
Founder: Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami
Publisher: Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami
Editor-in-Chief: Paramacharya Palaniswami
Publisher’s Aide: Paramacharya Ceyonswami
Deputy Editor: Acharya Kumarswami
Managing Editor: Sannyasin Arumugaswami
Graphics Director: Sannyasin Natarajnathaswami
Production Manager: Sannyasin Sivakatirswami
Managing Ed’s Aide: Sadhaka Jivanandanatha
Advertising and Subscriptions: Sadhaka Jothinatha
Correspondents: Choodamani Sivaram, Bangalore; Ra-
jiv Malik, Prabha Prabhakar Bhardwaj, Madhu Kish-
war, Delhi; Mangala Prasad Mohanty, Orissa; V. S.
Gopalakrishnan, Kerala; Basudeb Dhar, Bangladesh;
Archana Dongre, Los Angeles; Lavina Melwani, New
York; Dr. Hari Bansh Jha, Nepal; Anil Mahabir, Paras
Ramoutar, Trinidad; Dr. Devananda Tandavan, Chica-
go; V. G. Julie Rajan, Philadelphia; Rajesh Jantilal,
South Africa; Tara Katir, Hawaii. HPI Staff: Tara Katir,
Janaka Param, Toshadeva Guhan, Vijay Pillai, Easan
Katir, Adi Alahan, Chandra Sankara, Shama Kumaran,
Lavanya Saravan, Rajkumar Manickam, Arjan
Daswani. Sanskritist: Dr. P. Jayaraman, New York.
Artists: A. Manivelu, S. Rajam. Cartoonists: M. Aru-
mugam, Bob Thaves. Photo Contributors: Thomas L.
Kelly, Stephen P. Huyler, Dinodia, Amit Kumar, Dev
Raj Agarwal, Phal S. Girota, Tony Stone Images, Pho-
tobank, Gordon Wiltsie, Indivar Sivanathan. Web Mas-
ters: Nitya Nadesan, Sadhunathan Nadesan. Distribu-
tion: USA: Ingram Periodicals, New Leaf, EBSCO
Subscription Services, OneSource, Ubiquity. Europe:
SWETS Subscription Service. Malaysia and Singapore:
Sanathana Dharma Publications. India: Central News
Agency Limited, Delhi. Mauritius: CODIP. Trinidad:
Pandit Narendra & Ashwinee Ragoonanan. Printer:
Banta Publications Group, Kansas City, MO
As a law student, I have chosen a career
that is by definition adversarial. It is predi-
cated on the principle of the survival of the
fittest and can be emotionally and spiritual-
ly draining. Even in school, I have gotten a
taste of what to expect. It scares me. I don’t
want to become just another unfeeling
lawyer in an unfeeling profession. No career
is worth sacrificing your principles or your
soul. For this reason, I felt this last summer
would be better spent building character
rather than a resume. So I spent two months
working with thirty children at an ashram
in Malaysia. Little did I know how much
more I would learn from them than they
would learn from me.
The ashram is a foster home for under-
privileged Hindu children. Its mandate is to
not only provide for the material and physi-
cal needs of the children, but also to instill in
them religious and spiritual values. I was
asked to expect no luxuries and told I would
live, sleep and eat with the children. I was
also warned that, although the children
were basically good-hearted, most of them
came from backgrounds of neglect and
abuse and had behavioral problems.
Understandably, I was nervous when I first
arrived in the North, not far from Thailand. I
was prepared for the worst. Imagine my re-
lief when I found myself in a spotless, mod-
ern building, featuring a well-lit worship hall
with rooms for recreational classes and com-
munity religious functions. The two large
bedrooms for the children—one for boys and
another for girls—were well equipped with
fans, mosquito netting, comfortable beds, in-
was not being able to speak or understand
Tamil and Malay, which were the languages
most frequently used by the children. Be-
cause their facility with English was rudi-
mentary at best, our initial communication
was difficult. Yet this turned out to be a
blessing in disguise. Searching for a way to
befriend without words, I recalled some-
thing I had read somewhere: “People are not
remembered for what they say or do, but for
how they make you feel.” This turned out to
be a key for me. Slowly, I was able to tran-
scend the language barrier by striving to
give and receive feelings of affection. This is
not to infer that these young ones were al-
ways little angels. They could be loud, row-
dy, petulant, manipulative, irrational and im-
polite. In short, they were children. Yet, I
came to understand that even in the worst of
situations, they were only crying out for the
love and attention that was their birthright
but that they had never fully received.
In so many ways, my return from Malaysia
to Canada was the beginning, not the con-
clusion, of an incredible journey in mind
and spirit. Daily, I discover that who we are
is far more important than what we are. I
will always be grateful to those 30 Malaysian
children who taught me how to love, hope
and communicate beyond words.
Sheila Gayatri Evani, 24, lives in Ed-
monton, Alberta, Canada, where she stud-
ies law and serves the Student Legal Aid
Society by helping the poor receive legal
aid. In the photo above she is holding
ashram resident Thenmali.

above: hinduism today; below: rolf vennenbernd

8 j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3 h i n d u i s m t o d ay j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 9

PUBLISHER’S DESK
Mistakes Are Part of
The Spiritual Path
Blunders are, in truth, opportunities to improve
our behavior and thereby make spiritual progress
B Y S AT G U R U B O D H I N AT H A V E Y L A N S W A M I
ince septemer 11, there have been
increased statements by Western leaders
condemning some men as being evil and
extolling others as being good. This, of
course, is not the Hindu perspective. But
since it is so common, it is good to take time to
reflect on the Hindu point of view regarding good
and evil. For those who are parents it is good to
discuss the Hindu view with their children, to
make sure our and our children’s thinking on the
matter remains uninfluenced by Western thought.
The Hindu viewpoint is that all of mankind is
good, for we are all divine beings, souls created by
God. In fact, we are all one family, “Vasudhaiva kutumbakam—the
whole world is one family.” Each soul is emanated from God, as a
spark from a fire, on a spiritual journey which eventually leads
back to God. All human beings are on this journey, whether they
realize it or not, and the journey spans many lives. If all are on the
same journey, why is there such a disparity between men? Clearly,
some act like saints and others act like sinners. Some take delight
in helping their fellow men while others delight in harming them.
The Hindu explanation is that each of us started the journey at a
different time. Thus some are at the beginning of the spiritual
path, while others are near the end. In other words, there are
young souls and there are old souls. Our paramaguru, Jnanaguru
Siva Yogaswami, in speaking to devotees, described life as a school,
with some in the M.A. class and others in kindergarten, and to
each he gave lessons according to the level of advancement.
Man’s nature can be described as three-fold: spiritual, intellectu-
al and instinctive. It is the instinctive nature, the animal-like na-
ture, which contains the tendencies to harm others. Men who are
expressing those tendencies are young souls who need to learn to
harness this force. The Hindu approach to such a man is not to
label him evil, but rather to focus on helping him learn to control
his instincts and improve his behavior. Gurudeva, Satguru Sivaya
Subramuniyaswami, said insightfully: “People act in evil ways who
are not yet in touch with their soul nature and live totally in the
outer, instinctive mind. What the ignorant see as evil, the enlight-
ened see as the actions of low-minded and immature individuals.”
Important insights into the soul’s maturing process can be gained
by looking at the three shaktis of God Siva—iccha, the power of
desire; kriya, the power of action; and jnana, the power of wis-
dom—which are also the three powers of the soul. We first have a
desire, and when the desire becomes strong enough we act. In
young souls the action may be ill-conceived, even against dharma.
For example, a man wants a computer, so he steals one. Money is
10 h i n d u i s m t o d ay j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h, 2 0 0 3
needed, so he robs a bank.
The soul is often caught up in
repeating a cycle of similar
experiences, moving back and
forth from desire to action,
desire to action, until the
needed lesson is learned. In
the case of the adharmic ac-
tion of stealing, eventually he
will learn the lesson that this
is not the best way to acquire
possessions. This learning is
the jnana shakti, wisdom,
causing his behavior to improve.
This process is the same for dharmic
actions. Say we are helping out as a vol-
unteer at the temple, teaching children’s
classes once a month. We like the feel-
ing of helping others in a meaningful
way and so decide to help out every
week and even participate in regular
meetings to plan the classes. We are
doing a selfless action, and the reaction
it has on us is to feel more inner joy. The
jnana is to resolve to do even more ser-
vice and thus feel more joyful. We have
improved our behavior.
A recent segment on television de-
scribed an innovative prison in Califor-
nia. As we all know, the usual approach
is to regard jail simply as a time punish-
ment by confinement for a number of
A. manivel
years. Under this approach, many of the
prisoners released repeat the same
crimes and return to jail again and
again. Their behavior shows no improve-
ment. In fact, they may learn the crimi-
nal’s craft while serving their sentence. In this innovative prison
program, the warden had initiated a regimen that included coun-
seling, yoga and other therapeutic activities to improve the behav-
ior of prisoners so they would not repeat their crimes and return
to jail. The program is showing an excellent success rate.
For all of mankind, no matter where one is on the path, spiritual
advancement comes from improving one’s behavior. Said another
way, it comes from learning from one’s mistakes. Unfortunately, this
process is often inhibited by the idea that somehow we are not
supposed to make mistakes, that mistakes are bad. We grow up
being scolded for our mistakes by our parents. Teachers ridicule
students when they make mistakes. Supervisors yell at workers
when they make a mistake. No wonder many adults feel terrible
when they make a mistake. To spiritually benefit from our mis-
takes, we need a new attitude toward them. Gurudeva described
mistakes as “wonderful opportunities to learn.” He compared
learning from life’s experiences to progressing through the classes
at a university. He proclaimed: “Life is a series of experiences, one
The soul’s effulgence: In a secluded forest grove this concentrated
devotee worships a small stone image of God. Around him we see
his aura—the soul’s natural radiance—glowing as a circle of gold-
en yellow light as a result of his purity and earnest devotion.
after another. Each experience can be looked at as a classroom in
the big university of life if we only approach it that way. Who is
going to these classrooms? Who is the member of this university of
life? It’s not your instinctive mind. It’s not your intellectual mind.
It’s the body of your soul, your superconscious self, that wonderful
body of light. It’s maturing under the stress and strain.”
Those who are parents can teach their children that making
mistakes is not bad. Everyone makes mistakes. It is natural, and
simply shows we do not understand something about the matter at
hand, or we have been inattentive. It is important for parents to
determine what understanding the child lacks and teach it to him
without blame or shame. When parents discipline through natural
and logical consequences, children are encouraged to learn to re-
flect on the possible effects of their behavior before acting. Such
wisdom can be nurtured through encouraging self-reflection, ask-
ing the child to think about what he did and how he could avoid
making that mistake again.
A common first reaction to having made a mistake is to become
upset, to become fretful or angry about it, or if it is a serious mis-
take to become deeply burdened and even depressed. That is a
natural first reaction, but if it is our only reaction, it is not enough.
To progress, we need to cope with the emotional reaction to the
action and move on to the learning stage.
A good second reaction to a mistake is to think clearly about
what happened, why it occurred and find a way to not repeat the
mistake in the future. Perhaps we were not being careful enough,
and simply resolving to be more circumspect next time will pre-
vent the problem from recurring. Perhaps we lacked some impor-
tant knowledge, and now we have that knowledge, which we can
simply resolve to use next time.
Perhaps we created unintended consequences that caused signif-
icant problems to us or others. Now that we are aware of the con-
sequences, we certainly won’t repeat the action. Those who are
striving to live a spiritual life are self-reflective and learn quickly
from their blunders. In fact, one way to tell a young soul from an
old soul is to observe how quickly he cognizes his error and learns
not to repeat the same mistake.
A third remedy may be needed if the misstep involved other
people. Perhaps we have hurt someone’s feelings or created a strain
between us. A direct apology can fix this if we know them well. If
we are not close enough to the individual to be able to apologize, a
generous act toward them can often adjust the flow of feelings
back into a harmonious condition. For example, hold a small din-
ner party and include them among the guests.
A fourth remedy may be needed if one commits a major mis-
deed: for example, if we did something that was dishonest. Even if
we have resolved to not repeat the misdeed and apologized to
those involved, we may still feel guilty about the transgression. By
performing some form of penance, prayaschitta, we can rid our-
selves of the sense of feeling bad about ourself. Typical forms of
penance are fasting, performing 108 prostrations before the Deity
or walking prostrations up a sacred path or around a temple.
All of this does not mean we don’t punish those who act in evil
ways. Societies and nations must protect themselves with appropri-
ate actions that restrain wrongful behaviors. But even while pun-
ishing those who act with malicious intent, let us remember they,
too, are souls on the journey of spiritual maturity and discovery.
Let the focus be not on categorizing men as good or evil but on
encouraging all to improve their behavior, by applying the appro-
priate remedies and sanctions.
j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 11

Wisdom Born of 9/11 Madness
as we strive to gather the intellec-
tual significance and cause of 9/11, there is a
subtle truth to be learned, however bitter
the teacher, emerging from our reflections
of depth. May the seed of belief in each of
us allow the harmony of tolerance to grow,
knowing every path to God is sacred. May
there be no room for violence within civi-
lized mankind, holding each life form on
this planet sacred. Such is the dawn of wis-
dom’s need to learn from September 11th.
Narayani Nandhi
Santa monica, USA
∫ AAnanda27@aol.com
Priests’ Decline, Whose Fault?
regarding the trend of the decline of
temple priests (Trends, Oct/Nov/Dec, 2002),
the reasons are financial and social. We
Hindus treat the priests like parasites, pay
them a paltry sum and often insult them
publicly and privately. I did some volunteer
work as a priest and personally experienced
contempt for the priests. Even some swami-
jis of various Hindu organizations poke fun
at the priests. We forget their contributions.
All of our Veda mantras, Agamas, Puranas
and Smritis would have been forgotten but
for the painstaking memorizations by gener-
ations of priests. Many temples refuse to
sponsor immigration papers for the priests.
So they work long hours for a pittance for a
just a few months to support their family liv-
ing in far-off places. Some priests change
their vocation to survive. The work of a Hin-
du priest is tiring, both mentally and physi-
cally. Try doing simple archanas for an
eight-hour shift. You will find how tiresome
it is. My ancestors were priests, but none of
the present generation descendants are
priests. Curious, I inquired about the reason
for the abandonment of the ancestral posi-
tion. It is not just the money but the social
outlook. Many would-be priests are turned
off by the constant ill treatment and social
attitude. We are all responsible for this de-
cline and should do the needful to stop it.
Dr. Chittur V. Radhakrishnan
∫ cvrjaya@hotmail.com
Take Some Action, Please!
can you do some organizing to reno-
vate all the Hindu temples and palaces in
India? We should wake up to the fact that
our future children will only see ruins or
pictures of these temples and once-upon-a-
time opulant Hindu kings’ palaces. Secondly,
many books, magazines and papers are be-
ing printed, especially in Kerala, where mis-
sionary activities tarnish Hinduism and
Hindu Gods and saints. TV programs, dra-
mas and movies are made showing Hindu
Gods smoking cigarettes as well as drinking
12 h i n d u i s m t o d ay j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3
LETTERS
liquor. Can any lawyers challenge these pub-
lications and make a law that all such arti-
cles or movies be approved by a Hindu gov-
erning body? It is so sad. They are not
making fun of Islam, Muslim Imams,
Churches or Fathers, but happily make a
mockery of Hinduism. What respect can we
instill in our children when they grow up
seeing these?
Radhakrishna
∫ rk_me2@hotmail.com
Spare Us Deaths, Scandals!
please do not slip below the cnn level
of scandalized news reporting, as you have
done in your Amarnath report! (Amarnath
Yatra Ends; Eleven Pilgrims Killed. Source:
The Hindu, HPI, August 26, 2002) In the
same span of days there were many more
deaths in Africa, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata,
New York. Why concentrate on such sec-
ondary and bad things? Rather, select news
on how many had the vision of the Lord,
their bliss and brotherhood, etc. Your news
is supporting British brand journalism. We
are expecting real news from you and not
death counting or scandals without end.
Shaasa A. Ruzicka
∫ amritasyaputra@excite.com
✔ Good point. Next year we plan to send
our own reporter. Still, we cannot be afraid
to share the realities facing Hindus.
We Need Help in Europe
i’m very happy to see that there is a
Hindu magazine for Hindus in the world.
My name is Pirapa and I live in Denmark in
Europe. I’m a 20-year-old Tamil Hindu from
Sri Lanka. Here in Europe many Tamil Hin-
dus are converting to other religions, like Je-
hova’s Witnesses, Jesus sects, etc., and I’m
very unhappy about that. But many people
like me like our religion very much, and
there are also many temples here in Europe.
I have a dream to make a Hindu magazine,
where I can tell people about Hinduism, our
traditions, horoscopes, articles, questions
and answers, explanations about why we do
things as we are doing, etc. But I need help.
Pirapa N., Denmark
∫ suriyan@sol.dk
School Prayer Only by Choice
i read your piece about the proposed
prayer-in-school amendment (Diaspora, Jan/
Feb/March 2002). I wanted to write to clear
up a few misconceptions. Though not a
lawyer, I take a special interest in American
church-state issues. The First Amendment
covers more than “free speech.” In truth it
covers five areas: the right to free practice of
religion, free speech, a free press, peaceful
assembly and petitioning the government
for a redress of grievances. Every single
time the Christian Right has tried to intro-
duce any kind of “religious freedom amend-
ment” in this country, the amendment intro-
duced would have had the effect of watering
down the First Amendment so that the Con-
stitution will favor Christianity above all
other faiths. The simple fact is, children al-
ready have the right to voluntary prayer in
our schools. Occasionally they are harassed
by school administrators or teachers who
don’t know any better, particularly if they
practice a minority religion. But there is le-
gal redress for this. What is prohibited in
our country is the state sponsorship of reli-
gious practice in the schools: i.e., teachers
leading prayer before lunch, coaches leading
prayer before a football game (coaches are
teachers, too), or principals leading prayer
over the PA system during morning an-
nouncements.
Dana Seilhan
Bartlett, tenessee
∫ dana@kajunhippie.net
Bali’s Gandhi Canti Dasa
the founder of bali’s gandhi canti
Dasa Ashram (Spirited Gandhian Ashram
Flourishes in Indonesia, June 1989, http://
www.hinduismtoday.com/1989/06/1989-06-
07.html), Ibu Gedong Bagoes Oka, is now
bed-ridden with lung cancer at age 81. She
has done so much very amazing and vitally
important work in Indonesia, working for
the women of Indonesia and spreading
Gandhi’s message. The ashram is at risk of
possibly being sold for its high value as
beach-front property. We need help to make
sure Ibu’s work continues after her body
dies. Contact the many travelers whose lives
the ashram changed. Alert followers of
Gandhi or other groups whose work is in
line with the ashram’s. We might be able to
find a few skilled people (preferably women)
who would desire working at the ashram.
Meghan Lewis
∫ meghan@livingwisdomschool.org
Teach Non-Brahmins Vedas, Too
while it is encouraging to see that
brahmin girls are being initiated into the
upanayana ceremony, (Starting Vedic Stud-
ies Oct/Nov/Dec 2002), it is disheartening
that non-brahmin boys and girls are still ex-
cluded. Though changes have been taking
place and innumerable barriers of so-called
“traditions” are breaking down within the
privileged caste, why not initiate the non-
brahmin boys and girls into this upanayana
ritual? In ancient times this ritual was open
to all, as is stated in all the four Vedas. Later
on the Smriti, like the Manu Smriti, con-
fined it to a few, who became the privileged
group, just by inheritance of their birth. Ac-
cording to the Vedas, it is not heredity that
determines who is a brahmin, but rather,
behind the scene, and trust that peace will
prevail forever in that war-torn country.
are slowly losing Hinduism to conversion to
other religions, such as Christianity and Is-
sattvic character and noble actions. Thiru Satkunendran, Toronto,Canada lam. Before I read this magazine, I thought
Mrs. Jumuna Vittal Ph.D. ∫ thiru.satkunendran@sympatico.ca Hinduism was lost. Now I realize that the
∫ Mvittal@aol.com future of Hinduism is great.
Resplendent, Bold, Triumphant! Nickesh Rajandran
Working for Peace from Within the issue on gurudeva’s life is simply re- ∫ rnickesh@yahoo.co
your article on the world council of splendant (In Remembrance, Satguru Siva-
Religious Leaders in Bangkok, (Diaspora, ya Subramuniyaswami 1927-2001, Apr/May/ Corrections
Oct/Nov/Dec 2002) reminded me that it Jun 2002). Very bold and trumpetic in terms ✔ The correct date (People, Oct/Nov/Dec
was our Gurudeva, Satguru Sivaya Subramu- of information and visual imagery. Myself 2002) of Amba Caldwell’s Saiva initiation
niyaswami, who first spoke of peace and and my family do respectfully bow to all of was March 31, 2002, and her initiation
was rightfully awarded for that at the U.N. those who have worked hard to create this name is “Sadyojata” and not “Satyojata.”
He addressed the Buddhist monks present issue. You have done a remarkable job. May
at U.N., from Sri Lanka, of the urgent im- God bless you in abundance. Letters with writer’s name, address and daytime
portance of total peace in Sri Lanka. Two kesav mallia, india phone number, should be sent to:
years later, in June, the World Council of Re- ∫ jayaakesav@yahoo.com Letters, Hinduism Today
ligious Leaders met in Thailand, and in Sep- 107 Kaholalele Road
tember Norway initiated peace talks be- Great Future for Hinduism Kapaa, Hawaii, 96746-9304 USA
or faxed to: (808) 822-4351
tween the two warring factions of Sri Lanka, i am an indian from malaysia and
or e-mailed to: letters@hindu.org
in no other place than Thailand! Personally bought HINDUISM TODAY from a nearby In-
knowing that Gurudeva was totally commit- dian grocery shop. The magazine is very Letters may be edited for space and clarity and may
ted to seeing that peace is a permanent real- good and for the first time I saw Hinduism appear in electronic versions of HINDUISM TODAY.
ity in Sri Lanka, I am humbled by his work on a global scale. The Indians in Malaysia ∫ INDICATES LETTERS RECEIVED VIA E-MAIL
Help HINDUISM TODAY Serve Hindus Better
Ensure the growth and perpetuation of HT for tomorrow’s Hindus
atguru sivaya subramuniyaswami, our
founder, at one of his last Publisher’s Desk meetings
before his Mahasamadhi said to his swamis and the
staff of Hinduism Today: “We need to think of the
future. Hinduism Today is the best and it should be fully
endowed, just like National Geographic. There are people
out there who will help ensure that Hinduism Today lives
forever. We can make a difference and present the
Sanatana Dharma at the highest level. So we have started
the Hinduism Today Editorial Trust Fund as one of the
many funds in the Hindu Heritage Endowment. And you
should tell people about this in Hinduism Today itself.”
What Does It Take to Make a Magazine?
Even though the editorial team of sannyasins produce the
magazine as a service, without salaries, there are many
costs involved. Writers, photographers, researchers, artists, Banta Press, Missouri: HT printed again, after much work and expense
designers, computers, printers, scanners, air and train fare,
taxis, hotels, meals, film, books, software, Internet sites and Malik to Mumbai from Delhi to collect the TV story; we flew
servers, communications costs for global networking with as- Lavina Melwani to London. These were budget trips, to be
sociates—that is what it takes to make a well-crafted maga- sure, but a big step for us. Only in covering the last two Kum-
zine. Fortunately, Hinduism Today has been able, just barely, bha Melas have we been able to send our reporters and pho-
month-to-month, to stand on its own, with the loyal support of tographers on multi-day assignments to get what may have
subscribers, advertisers who believe in the mission of Hin- been the best Kumbha Mela reports in the world. We have the
duism Today and generous patron subsidies for technology. people at ready, but we need the funds. A two-million dollar
endowment safely invested will yield five percent a year, or
Let’s Make It the Best! us$25,000.00 per issue. That would be a good first step. One
Our ability to report the news is limited by budget constraints. generous man has already granted life insurance policies to
If we had more money for our stories, we could send our re- the Hinduism Today Editorial Trust. If you believe in our
porters and photographers to distant places to collect the most mission, donate today. Write us, email letters@hindu.org or go
significant stories. For example, for this issue we sent Rajiv to http://www.hheonline.org/funds/htdf_htet.html.
j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 13
 Frank and Ernest ©2002 T H AV E S , R E P R I N T E D W I T H P E R M I S S I O N

“What does God Do? He writes Poetry. What has He

written? A single verse—the uni-verse.”
Swami Veda Bharati

O foolish one, do not thank God for loving one’s original primal state. If one succeeds and asked him sternly, “Where is God?”
you: He cannot do otherwise. Thank Him in the fight and reaches the goal, the The boy’s mouth dropped open, but he
for having ignited in your heart love for enemy, namely the thoughts, will all sub- made no response. So the pundit repeated
Him. Let it grow, from more to more, until it side in the Self and disappear entirely. the question in an even sterner tone,
burns away all self, only God remains. Dada Ramana Maharshi “Where is God!!?” Again the wide-eyed
J.P. Vaswani, Hindu of the year for 2002 boy made no attempt to answer. The pun-
A couple had two little boys, ages 8 and 10, dit raised his voice and bellowed,
The reputation of a thousand years may be who were excessively mischievous. They “WHERE IS GOD!?” The boy screamed A mind all logic is like a knife all blade. It lives—for war. But we expect to get peace ten, nothing overlooked. Mark Twain
determined by the conduct of one hour. were always getting into trouble. Their par- and bolted from the room, ran directly makes the hand bleed that uses it. for nothing. Peace Pilgrim
Japanese Proverb ents knew that if any mischief occurred in home and dove into a closet, slamming the Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) Live your life so that the fear of death can
their village, their sons were probably in- door behind him. When his older brother In peace, sons bury their fathers. In war, never enter your heart. When you arise in
We live very close together. So, our prime volved. The boys’ mother heard that a pun- found him hiding, he asked, “What hap- Temper gets us into trouble; fathers bury their sons. Herodotus the morning, give thanks for the morning
purpose in life is to help others. And if we dit in town had been successful in pened?” The younger brother, gasping for pride keeps us there. light. Give thanks for your life and
can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them. disciplining children, so she asked if he breath, replied, “We are in BIG trouble this Nothing has been left undone, either by strength. Give thanks for your food and for
Dalai Lama would speak with her sons. The pundit time, dude. God is missing, and they think We seem always ready to pay the price for man or Nature, to make India the most the joy of living. And if perchance you see
agreed, but asked to see them separately. WE did it!” war. Almost gladly we give our time and extraordinary country the Sun visits on his no reason for giving thanks, rest assured
If one wants to abide in the thought-free So, the mother sent her eight-year-old first, our treasure—our limbs and even our round. Nothing seems to have been forgot- the fault is in yourself. Chief Tecumseh,
state, a struggle is inevitable. One must in the morning. The pundit, a huge man Learn from the mistakes of others. You (1768–1813), one of the greatest leaders of
fight one’s way through before regaining with a booming voice, sat the boy down won’t live long enough to make them all the Shawnee American Indians
yourself. Dread of Sinful Deeds
A small boy is trying very hard to pick up a
DI D YOU K NOW ? All the wonders you seek are within your- Tirukural 202: From evil springs heavy cabinet. His father comes into the
self. Sir Thomas Browne (1605–1682) forth more evil. Hence evil is to be room and asks, “Are you using all your
Masculine and Feminine Stones Physician and essayist feared even more than fire. strength?” “Yes, of course I am,” responds
the boy impatiently. “You are not,” says the
ifferent stones are either Real charity doesn’t care if it’s deductible Tirukural 203: To commit no father, “You haven’t asked me to help you.”
male or female or even neuter, or not. wrong, even against one’s enemies,
according to V. Ganapati Sthap- is said to be supreme wisdom. The mind is like milk. If you keep the
ati, the chief temple architect of As the sun, the eye of the whole world, is mind in the world, which is like water, then
San Marga Iraivan Temple being con- not sullied by the external faults of the Tirukural 205: Do not commit the milk and water will get mixed. That is
structed in Hawaii. Male stones give a eyes, so the one inner soul of all things is wrongful deeds, claiming to be why people keep milk in a quiet place and
bell-like sound when struck. Female not sullied by the sorrow in the world, poor. Such deeds only cause one to let it set into curd, and then churn butter
stones give a softer sound. To test a stone, being external to it. Krishna Yajur Veda, be poorer still. from it. Then that butter can easily be kept
a 6-inch by 6-inch by 3-feet or longer Katha Upanishads 5.11 in the water. The mind will float detached
stone is placed on two wooden blocks Tirukural 207: One can escape on the water of the world.
and struck. Each quarry usually contains from hate-filled enemies, but his Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa
h i n d u i s m t o d ay

Living your life is a task so difficult, it has

one gender, with few exceptions. In De- never been attempted before. own hateful acts will pursue and
ity carving, Gods are made with male destroy him. The Natha Sampradaya has revealed the
stones and Goddesses with female stones. Patience means self-suffering. search for the innermost divine Self, bal-
In temple construction all load bearing Mahatma Gandhi Tirukural 208: As a man’s shadow anced by temple worship, fueled by kun-
stones, such as beams and pillars, should When a stone is quarried using dyna- follows his footsteps wherever he dalini yoga, charted by monistic theism,
a. manivel

be male for their strength and density. mite, the molecular structure is The most beautiful thing we can experi- goes, even so will destruction pur- illumined by a potent guru-disciple system,
Each stone is a living entity with its own shattered, making the stone weak and ence is the mysterious. It is the source of sue those who commit sinful deeds. guided by soul-stirring scriptures and
sound, said Sthapati, and sound is life. destroying its life and sound. all true art and science. Albert Einstein awakened by sadhana and tapas. Satguru
Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (1927–2001)

14 h i n d u i s m t o d ay j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h, 2 0 0 3 j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 15
 FROM THE VEDAS
The Goal of Life…Moksha
Pannikar translates Vedic verses on Freedom—Liberation
HE ENTIRE PURPORT OF THE VEDAS IS LIBER-
ation or freedom. Freedom may be inter-
preted in many ways. It is Brahman, it is
atman, it is nirvana. Or it can be said to
consist in Being, in Happiness, in Release
from all bondage. More numerous still are
the ways supposed to lead to it. Right action, true knowl-
edge and real love are the classical ways.
Our selection stresses only some features of moksha. The
thrust of most of the texts is true to the basic meaning of the
word, from the root muc- or moksh-, to loose, to free, re-
lease, let loose, let go, and thus also to spare, to let live, to al-
low to depart, to dispatch, to dismiss, and even to relax, to
spend, bestow, give away, to open. There is a climate of
simplification, of elimination, of utter freedom and even un-
concern, which forms one of the fundamental features of the
entire Vedic experience. Not by accumulation and increased
concern, but by simplification and unconcern, will Man
reach his final destination. The consequences of this attitude
are a whole lifestyle.
I know that Primordial Man, golden as the sun, beyond
darkness. Knowing him a man even now becomes immor-
tal. This is the way to attain him; there is no other.
shukla yajur veda 31.18
[Brahman] is grasped in a flash of awakening. Then it is
thought that one attains immortality. By the atman one
achieves spiritual strength, and by wisdom is found im-
mortality. Wherever he is known, there is truth; wherever
not known, ruination. Discerning him in every being, the
wise, departing from this world, become immortal.
kena upanishad 2.4-5
If here and now one knows him before the decay of the
body, then one is prepared to receive a body in the worlds
of creation. In the atman one sees as it were in a mirror, in
the world of the Fathers one sees as in a dream, in the
world of the spirits, as reflection in water, in the world of
Brahman, as light and shade. When the wise man knows
the sense perceptions—their rising and their setting, each
one in separation—and the origin of each, then he grieves
no more. Beyond the senses is the mind, beyond the mind,
pure intellect, beyond the intellect, the great atman, be-
yond the great atman, the Unmanifest.
The Vedas are the divinely revealed and most revered scriptures,
sruti, of Hinduism, likened to the Torah (1,200 bce), Bible New
Testament (100 ce), Koran (630 ce) or Zend Avesta (600 bce). Four
s. rajam
in number, Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva, the Vedas include over
100,000 verses. Oldest portions may date back as far as 6,000 BCE.
16 h i n d u i s m t o d ay j a n u a r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3
Beyond the unmanifest, moreover, is the Person, all-per-
vading, uncharacterized. When a man knows Him, he at-
tains liberation and proceeds to immortality. His form is
not in the field of vision. No one is able to see Him with
the eye. Apprehending Him by heart, by thought, and by
mind, those who know him thus become immortal.
When the five organs of perception are still, together with
the mind, when the reason does not function—this they
aver to be the highest state. This they deem to be yoga—
the steady concentration of the senses. Man then becomes
pure attention, for yoga is both origin and extinction.
katha upanishad 6.4-11
In this great wheel of Brahman, the life and foundation of
all, the soul wanders like a swan, thinking himself and the
Inspirer to be separate. When grace comes from Him, he
attains immortality. This has been praised as the supreme
Brahman in which the three-fold reality is established and
imperishable. Those who know Brahman within, realizing
Brahman and absorbed in Brahman, are released from
birth. The Lord encompasses this all, composed of things
perishable and imperishable, formed and unformed. The
self, a mere enjoyer, suffers without a Lord, but he who
knows God is freed from all fetters.
Two are unborn, the knower and the ignorant; the Lord
and the not-Lord. The one, an enjoyer, is chained to enjoy-
ments; the other, the atman, is infinite, of universal form,
nonactive. By knowing the threefold, one also knows Brah-
man. Perishable is matter; immortal, imperishable the
Lord, who, the One, controls the perishable and also the
soul. Meditating on Him, uniting with Him, becoming
more and more like Him, one is freed at the last from the
world’s illusion. The Eternal which resides in the atman
should be known. Beyond this there is nothing that needs
to be known. The enjoyer, the object of enjoyment, the In-
spirer—this has been declared to be the All, the threefold
Brahman.
As a mirror covered with dust, when cleaned, shines
with fresh brightness, so the embodied self is unified on
seeing the atman’s true nature, attains its goal and is re-
leased from sorrow. He who with the truth of the atman,
unified, perceives the truth of Brahman, as with a lamp,
who knows God, the unborn, the stable, the One free from
all forms of being, is released from all fetters.
svetasvatara upanishad 1.6-10,12; 2.14-14
Raimundo Panikkar, 82, holds doctorates in science, phi-
losophy and theology. His anthology of verses, The Vedic
Experience, excerpted above, is the result of ten years spent
in Banaras translating with the help of Vedic scholars.
j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 17
 F E AT U R E S T O R Y

a p / a l i s ta i r g r a n t
christine osborne pictures.
How very British: (clockwise from left) Participants in the Hindu Youth Festival 2002 North
parade through Preston’s Flagmarket with a small icon of Lord Krishna (on red tray); Prince
basil sage

Charles receives the traditional pottu, red forehead mark, upon his visit to the grand Swami-
narayan Temple in Neasden; the youngest generation of this Gujarati family offer sacred lamps in
worship at their family’s home shrine

B Y L AVINA M ELWANI , N EW Y ORK transformed with the silhouettes of temples, plane to London to ferret out the real story.

Hindus Make a Home

cores of british school chil- mosques and gurudwaras along with Lift-off: It started the moment I boarded
dren in maroon uniforms, their churches. Britain, long the colonizer, is now the Virgin Atlantic flight at JFK: There were
blonde and brunet hair shining in getting colonized by its former subjects who so many Indians on board, it seemed like a
the sunshine, swarm through a are bringing heat and color—and spirituali- mass exodus. When it came to lunchtime, I
Hindu temple in Neasden; out in ty—to its shores. This is the England where was pleasantly surprised to notice that a
the West End, Andrew Lloyd Her Majesty the Queen, in her Golden Ju- vegetarian meal was routinely offered.

In the United Kingdom

Webber’s new play, “Bombay Dreams,” is
drawing packed houses of Britons of every
hue; and the very English House of Com-
mons in the city of London is creating a spe-
cial in-house curry restaurant so that mem-
bers can get on with the business of
governance—and still get their spicy meal
A million Hindus, now three and four generations deep, settle in as permanent fix, too.
Welcome to the new multicultural Britain
and valued citizens within the homeland of their former colonial rulers that seems to be undergoing a metamor-
phosis before one’s very eyes, its skyline
bilee Year, has paid her respects at a Hindu
temple, duly removing her shoes and pro-
ceeding in her stocking feet. Why, even the
decorous Victoria and Albert Museum is
displaying Bollywood film posters.
This was a Britain one just had to see, and
the summer of 2002 was reputed to be a real
Indian summer in England: Indian films,
music, food and fashion were all major in-
fluences in the UK and, commissioned by
Hinduism Today, this writer hopped a
I opened the program guide and found
there were several Indian films showing on
flight, and among the TV programs was the
highly popular “The Kumars at 42nd Street,”
a popular British sitcom. Landing at
Heathrow was another eye-opener—huge
groups of Indians coming and going. Even
among the airport personnel there were
clusters of Indian women dressed in navy
blue western uniforms but with flashing
eyes and nose pins that recalled the mustard

18 h i n d u i s m t o d ay j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3 j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 19

christine osborne pictures
christine osborne pictures
l av i na m e lwa n i
20
fields of the Punjab.
Yes, the color of Britain is changing, and
brown seems to be a prominent hue. Of
course, just like in New York City, my taxi
driver turned out to be an Asian and propri-
etarily pointed out the Desi (Indian) refer-
ence points as we drove toward the city.
According to the UK Yearbook published
by the Office of National Statistics, the Hin-
du community originates largely from India,
although others have come from countries
to which earlier generations had previously
migrated, such as Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda,
Zambia and Malawi. More recently, large
numbers have immigrated from Sri Lanka.
The population directly of Indian origin
numbers 400,000 to 550,000, though some
put this figure at close to a million. Census
figures to be announced at the end of this
year should give a clearer picture.
Exploring temples: The very day I arrived,
I descended into the London underground,
the vast tube railway transport system that
runs under the city, to explore. I journeyed to
the Highgatehill Murugan Temple, the first
Siva temple in London, and the temple visit-
ed by Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip—
their first in the UK. It is also one of the old-
est temples in London, initiated in 1965 by a
devotee named Sabapathipillai who would
get together with friends in humble homes
for bhajanas [religious songs]. They decided
to start a movement for a Hindu temple in
Britain. In 1971 Pillai rented the Black
Memorial Hall where about 200 people used
to gather on Fridays to pray. This was the be-
ginning of the Britannia Hindu Temple
Trust, and the members used to pay dues of
us$3.20 a month.
In 1979, they took over a dilapidated syn-
agogue, brought in the icon from India and a
Hindu priest from Sri Lanka—and created
the first Murugan Temple. According to K.
Nagarajah, Gurudeva Subramuniyaswami,
founder of Hinduism Today, visited it in
1979 and performed puja there. Gurudeva
also helped guide the temple in its formative
stages. At that time there were just two oth-
er temples—the Wimbledon Ganapati Tem-
ple and the East Ham Murugan Temple.
“So you can imagine how it’s all developed
after that,” says Om Prakash Sharma, Presi-
dent of the National Council of Hindu Tem-
ples, UK and a trustee of the World Con-
gress of Faiths. “We now have about 150
temples in Britain, and about 70 of them are
affiliated to the National Council. The largest
is the Swaminarayan Temple in Neasden.”
Just like home: (top to bottom) Lord Hanu-
man gets a delicious offering of fresh veg-
etables and cooked food at the Hindu tem-
ple in Tooting Bec; a paan merchant in
Southall does a brisk business; first-class
mangoes from this Wembley fruit stall are a
favorite with the local Indians
h i n d u i s m t o d ay j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3
The Highgatehill Temple attracts many
Hindus, especially the Tamil communities
from India, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, South
Africa and Malaysia. Few Tamils live in the
area, which is a very affluent one, but drive
in from the suburbs, some coming from as
far as 45 miles.
According to Nagarajah, second-genera-
tion Hindus are attuned to their faith:
“There is a revival in Hinduism at the mo-
ment because there are so many Tamil
schools and cultural classes by various insti-
tutions so people will stay with their own
culture and languages for the next genera-
tion.” Looking to the future, he adds, “We
have bought a few properties here, so that
even without support from the public, the
income generated from the properties will
be enough to maintain the temple for 20
years. I don’t know what will happen then.”
Judging by the strong cultural and spiritu-
al bonds that most Hindus maintain here
with their religion and home country, he
need not fear for the future. The temple
scene is bustling, with more being built
around the country. There is a Balaji temple
being constructed near Birmingham, a
$10.6 million project, half a government
grant. Another temple in Preston has also re-
ceived a grant from the government. Ex-
plains Sharma, “The grant is not given for
the faith or religion but rather for the com-
munity center,” which is part of the temple.
Sharma is convinced that Hinduism is in
the ascendancy and that the Hindu way of
life, philosophy and yoga are all gaining mo-
mentum in the West. Asked if any of the
temples in the UK were connected to the
Vishwa Hindu Parishad, he replied, “Tem-
ples are mainly for the worship of the Lord,
not for politics. Some of the temples are run
by VHP. We will welcome anyone to our
temples but we don’t discuss much of poli-
tics. Mainly it’s for the glory of the Lord.”
Yet he admitted that the tensions in India
are often mirrored so far from home. During
the Ayodhya incident, 29 temples were fire-
bombed and one temple was even razed to
the ground by Muslim Britons. However,
this time when Gujarat was inflamed, there
were only minor incidents in Britain.
Indeed, mostly the many faiths live in
peace. The UK report statistics show that
there are about 1.5 million Muslims, 40 mil-
lion Christians, 500,000 Sikhs and 330,000
Jews. You can see these groups living side-by-
side in communities like East Ham, where
temples and mosques and Sikh gurudwaras
stand shoulder to shoulder. You pass crowded
markets with halal meat shops and women in
burkhas and Sikh grandmothers headed to
the gurudwara and Hindu mothers pushing
their children in strollers.
Arriving at the East Ham station, I took a
bus to the London Sri Murugan Temple,
which is in Manor Park. The crowded bus
negotiated its way through streets full of a
bustling Asian population. It was like being
back in India as a South Indian woman on
the bus pointed out the temple, and an el-
derly Punjabi lady explained that she and
her friend were headed for their daily visit
to the gurudwara. Passing cars all seemed to
have Asians at the wheel, and young Indian
and Pakistanis chatted on the street.
It is in this bustling, humble neighborhood
that the London Sri Murugan Temple stands,
currently housed in a former pub while a
christine osborne pictures
grand new temple takes shape on the ground
of the former temple that has been demol-
ished. This temple had its beginnings in
1975 and many devotees, especially Tamils,
have flocked to it. The new temple of black
granite in the grand traditions of Southern
temple architecture is being built in three
phases, at an estimated cost of $5.6 million.
It is in a residential area, so it took almost
four years to get the building permissions.
The first phase includes the construction of
three principal shrines, dedicated to Lords Pride of Neasden: (above) A Hindu lady and
Ganapati, Siva and Murugan. her daughter walk in front of the Shri
The temple—a bright maroon—looked di- Swaminarayan Mandir. With 22,600 square
lapidated from outside. Once inside, it em- feet, it is the largest Hindu temple in the
anated peace and calm, as music played and UK. At the peak of its construction, 1,526
incense filled the air. I had arrived at the craftsmen were at work, aided by 1,000 vol-
time when the temple is closed to the public, unteers. (right) A Jewish group has just
so the crowds that gather for evening arati completed a tour of the temple, including its
had not yet come. However, the temple has a highly informative teaching displays. (be-
deep connection with Gurudeva Subramu- low) Flowers rain down upon devotees dur-
baps
niyaswami, and the chief priest, R. Nagaran- ing a gathering in the huge audience hall.
tha Sivam, conducted a special puja for me,
as a representative of Hinduism Today. It
was wonderful to see the great esteem that
Gurudeva is held in by the trustees of the
temple.
Even as the construction dust flies, the
devotees flock to the makeshift temple
which has made an oasis of calm, a sanc-
tum, out of a pub. Here as the cymbals and
drums make sweet music, hundreds of fam-
ilies gather to pray. Asha Darmassaalane,
originally from South India, is one such dev-
otee. Why is this temple important to her?
“It is typical of temples back home, and so I
come in every week. We are Lord Murugan
worshipers and there are special pujas in
the evenings and so it becomes an opportu-
nity to share prasadam (blessed food) and
also socialize with friends.”
Darmassaalane is a physician and has
three children. Her husband Bala, a materi-
als manager with an American company, ex-
plains that there is a very strong Tamil com-
munity amongst the 70% Asian population
in East Ham. About ten miles away there is
a bustling Ford manufacturing plant that at-
tracted Indian plantation workers from Sin-
gapore about 20 years ago. Since then, the
South Asian element has increased in this
area and also monopolized the corner shops.
“There are three or four generations of
baps
Asians here, with a commitment to educa-
j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 21

christine osborne pictures
Bringing up children: (left to right) Gujarati
girl worships the sacred tulsi tree in her
home; BAPS Swaminarayan children
stage a religious play; Hindu child unwill-
ingly endures the head-shaving samskara,
or rite of passage
tion, and they have built many temples. At
this temple we have a chariot festival every
year, and you can expect 8,000 people in
August.”
According to the head priest, parents are
encouraged to bring their children so that
they can grow up comfortable in two worlds.
He said, “We give the children sweets and
tell them mythological tales. There are cul-
tural classes every Sunday and over 200 stu-
dents turn up to learn bharata natyam,
singing and the vina. At the temple we ob-
serve all the events of life from birth to
death with rituals, and also celebrate all the
festivals.”
Later I shared a delicious prasadam lunch
of sambar, vegetables and rice with the
president, S. Sampath Kumar, and other
trustees of the temple as they related to me
how the temple has grown over the years.
As Britain has been infiltrated by its for-
mer colonies, the immigrants are bringing
their tastes and rhythms to the larger popu-
lace. There are about 1.2 to 1.3 million peo-
ple of Indian origin in the UK, with about
450,000 in London, with large concentra-
tions in towns like Bradford and Leicester.
The Punjabis and the Gujaratis dominate
the Indian population, with about 40 to 45
percent coming from each of these two
communities.
The Punjabis came from India largely as
22 h i n d u i s m t o d ay j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3
industrial workers, while the Gujaratis came
in large numbers from Kenya and Uganda in
the early 70s, with entrepreneurial skill,
capital and education. Today Indians are in
practically every field, with large numbers
in the medical profession, and the services—
railway, postal, and health care, and more re-
cently, in financial services.
While the first generation has, under-
standably, a deeper connection to their
homeland, the second and third generation
has integrated well into British life. There
are many who have never been to India but
the music and the foods—and of course,
Bollywood—draws them. While for some
the links to India are strong, for others the
emotional attachment is kept through lan-
guage, music and cinema.
Faith and Art: The fervor of overseas Hin-
dus for the rituals of their religion is strong.
An example of the devotion is seen at the
Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden,
which has made it into the Guinness Book of
World Records as the largest traditional
Hindu temple outside of India. Many people
had told me how grand it was but I was still
taken aback by its perfection when I saw it
myself. Its carved white pinnacles and pris-
tine marble pillars rise against London’s sky-
line, seeming a bit unreal and dreamlike.
Over 2,820 tons of Bulgarian limestone
and 2,000 tons of Italian Carrara marble
were shipped to India where they were
carved by 1,500 craftsmen and reshipped to
London. In fact, 26,300 carved pieces were
reassembled over three years. Everything
here is on a grand scale, and festivals like
Deepavali and Annakut attract 50,000 peo-
ple. During my visit, I was particularly im-
baps
pressed by the orderly crowds and the orga-
nized way in which everything is conducted
at the temple. The parking lot was full of
tour buses, many of them carrying young
English students being given a view of the
new multicultural England.
When I visited, there were scores of Hin-
du devotees. For Sundar Patel and his wife, a
retired couple that earlier lived in Kenya
and are now residents in the Kingsbury area
of London, a regular visit to the temple is a
must, especially to show it to visiting family
and friends. In addition to the Hindus,
there were at least a hundred English
schoolchildren from a Catholic school, in-
tently watching all the ceremonies and tak-
ing notes. Said their teacher, “This is our
way of teaching them about different faiths.”
Indeed, the learning process for the main-
stream has already begun, with so many In-
dians and Sri Lankans in the form of teach-
ers, friends and neighbors.
I entered Bharati Vidya Bhavan by a side
door. It seemed like any other building, until
I stepped into the main hall, when I realized
it is a former church, still complete with
pews. It was a strange feeling to see scores of
Indian families sitting on the seats, chatting.
This space is now used for performances,
and on this day many people were there,
waiting for various classes to begin. Indeed,
one can see the vitality and energy in al-
most every corner of the Bhavan.
As I followed Nandakumara, the director,
on a tour of the rooms, I heard the strains of
the sitar and tabla and the jingle of ghun-
groos from the classes. Everywhere I saw
young people getting in touch with their
culture and their religion, as they learned
languages and performed the classical
dances. The Bhavan seemed to be a gather-
ing spot for families with the cafeteria full of
people enjoying samosas and idlis. All this
in the heart of bustling London!
At the Bharati Vidya Bhavan scores of
Britishers come to learn, along with Indians,
music, language and yoga. In fact, 90 per-
cent of the students in the yoga classes are
European, as are the teachers, who follow
the Indian method of teaching yoga. What
started out as a 10- by 10-foot rented room is
today a dynamic 14,800 square-foot space in
a converted church, with its own art gallery,
classes and theater, with lectures on every-
thing from the Bhagavad Gita to Ayurvedic
medicine. Says Nandakumara, “When we
started in 1972, the community was small,
but it has now grown. Earlier they had very
limited contact with the home country, but
today they’ll be able to get anything, thanks
to the open policy of the government where-
in it welcomes, helps and encourages people
to keep in touch with their culture. There
are so many opportunities, so many govern-
ment grants available that anyone who is do-
ing genuine work will be recognized.”
The Bhavan has 1,500 members. In 2001
there were 800 students enrolled in various
classes in Indian languages, Carnatic music,
Hindustani music, Kathak and Bharat
Natyam, yoga and Gita and Vedic chanting.
There are also outreach classes in Wembley,
bringing Indian culture to where the major-
ity of Asians live.
The Bhavan is thriving and is again re-
making itself—this time with a $1.7 million
renovation and creation of a visual arts
gallery. It has been allocated $836,000 by
christine osborne pictures
the Millennium Commission, subject to rais-
ing the matching grants. The Arts Council
has also promised $240,000 in matching
grants for other renovations.
The Nehru Center, India’s cultural nucleus
in London, has stood through all the change.
Purchased by the Indian High Commission
in 1947, it has gone through many uses and
was even a marvelous canteen for Desi food
when there were no Indian restaurants in
London. Noted actor and playwright Girish
Karnad has been the director of Nehru Cen-
ter for the past two years and has also had
his plays performed in London, including
his latest, “Bali—The Sacrifice.”
Indeed, there has been a flowering of lo-
cal British Indian talent including artists like
dancer Shobana Jeysingh and Akram Singh
and performers Tavleen Singh and Nitin
Sawhney. The theater group Tamasha has
toured the country with its English stage
adaptation of the Bollywood film “Hum Aap
Ke Hain Kaun,” while Tara Arts is known for
its innovative work.
Observes Karnad, “A whole new genera-
tion of artists is coming and making itself
felt, and that’s essentially because the arts
council decided to encourage ethnic arts.
Not so much traditional arts but what the lo-
cal Indian generation is producing in terms
of modern fusion. In that sense, if you see
India as the source of this cultural activity,
then really the modern interpretation of all
that is happening here.”
Fitting in: On my last day in London I at-
tended Lord Swarj Paul’s annual reception
in the London Zoo, a gathering for parents
and their children, in memory of his daugh-
ter Ambika who died of leukemia. All
j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3
through her illness, the zoo had been her fa-
vorite place and after she passed away, he
often used to visit it. When he heard that it
was going to be closed down due to lack of
funds, he donated $1.6 million.
Ask him whether he considers himself
British or Indian, and he says, “ I am hun-
dred percent British, and I am hundred per-
cent Indian—so I have no problem with
identity. Those who have, I feel sorry for
them.”
Indeed, the Indian immigrants in Britain
seem to have embraced the British Asian la-
bel more than Indians in America have ac-
cepted their hyphenated identity. Lord Paul
says of the Indians in the UK, “They are a
tremendous asset to this country, and all
three political parties recognize that. As
more education comes, I think they will feel
even more comfortable. They’ve done a
marvelous job at assimilating themselves—
it’s a very successful community. The India
craze is good—it’s more recognition of India,
more recognition of Indian people and it’s
partly because of the recognition of the con-
tribution of the Indians living here.”
Parents do not want their children to for-
get—and in many cases the second genera-
tion, a robust mix of Asian and British view-
points, is finding its place in a continent far
from home. They are going for arranged
marriages as well as love unions and negoti-
ating their identity [see next page]. Indeed,
my brief ten days in Britain showed me
many faces of Hinduism, of people living
their own versions of the religion. And such
is the elasticity and philosophy of Hinduism
that people can live many different lifestyles
and still call themselves Hindu. ∏π
h i n d u i s m t o d ay 23
 Action youth: (left) Seven members of Hin-
du Youth UK, standing, left to right, are
Bhavit Mehta, Sunny Patel, Kamlesh Dar-
ji and Parathan Sivasubramanium; bot-
tom row is Sonali Kantaria, Rina Sodha
and Savan Shah

studied the Gita and the Upanishads. Others

are devotion-based, and are into bhajanas
(religious songs) and Hanuman chalisas
(scriptural recitation). Still others perform
yagnas, fire ceremonies. “But put them all to-
gether and they are still a very small minor-

hinduyouthuk
ity. The majority of the Hindu youth—
maybe 75 percent—don’t take an interest in

basil sage
their faith or culture,” says Mehta. “They of-
ten mistake the faith and culture as one—
and that is the first problem. They look at In-
dia and think, ‘Well, that’s Hinduism’—and
l av i na m e lwa n i

actually it’s not. They often misunderstand
the basic, simple concepts of Hinduism as
freakish or irrelevant to them. That’s what it
boils down to—how relevant are all these
things to them today in their lifestyle? If it’s
seen as irrelevant, then they want nothing to
YOUTH do with it. That’s a major problem.”
The various members of Hindu Youth UK
I missed my religion. I went to church a few
times, but then found a temple close by and
started going there on Sundays. I was the
only girl from my school going to a Hindu
temple. I’ve always been proud of who I am
and thought it was quite nice to be different.”
Jaytal Morjaria is a buyer for Laura Ash-
ley, but on the Get Connected team he’s the
Monicka Patel, 23, born and raised in Preston Festival: (left) The artsy souvenir
U.K., is in journalism. Since she started liv- program for Hindu Youth Festival 2002
ing on her own, she found she was drifting North; (right) three Preston girls get the
away from Hinduism, while her family re- full India-style nail treatment
mained involved. Getting involved with the
Hindu Youth helped her to get a footing and chance to learn about things. When people
allowed her to combine her journalism skills preach to me, I tend to switch off. There’s a
with volunteerism. She says, “As you get old- message to be sent out to the wider world to

Mind if We Take Charge? spoke with me about the role of Hinduism

Hindu Youth UK embark on ambitious programs
B Y L AVINA M ELWANI , N EW Y ORK
met with a committed group of
young Hindus, the organizers of the
Get Connected 2002 Festival, in Wem-
bley. These were by no means somber,
religious conservatives, but fun-loving, vital
young professionals whose goal is to put the
energy and magic back into religion for the
younger generation.
“There is this confusion of identity—it’s
the biggest issue facing us,” says Bhavit
Mehta, 24. “A lot of Indians are born here,
and many are born in Africa. So how do we
identify ourselves? People are very cynical.
They question everything in this day and
age. That’s why at last year’s event it was felt
that there should be something that catered
completely to the youth.”
I was told that in the UK there are hun-
miris. Other important players are the uni-
versity-based groups such as the National
Hindu Students Forum (NHSF), which pro-
vides a network for all the Hindu groups in
various universities.
“Last year we wanted to bring all these
different groups together and make them
aware of this larger network,” explains
Mehta. “The youth had never worked to-
gether. The goal was to get them working to-
gether at an early age so that in ten years
time, when they are heading their organiza-
tions, they are very good friends.”
Asked if the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and
Sangh Parivar were active among the youth
in the UK, Mehta said they were very active.
NHSF was inspired by the VHP, while Sha-
ka, another youth group, is connected to the
UK Hindu Swayam Sangh, which is, in turn,
in their lives. Jitesh Patel, 22, is a graphic
designer who was born and raised in Lon-
don. He recalls racial bias growing up: “I
used to see kids being terrorized and bul-
lied. And those kind of kids just get lost.” He
had an experience during Navaratri when
he had a darshan (vision) of Mataji (the
Goddess). “That brought me closer to Hin-
duism, and I wanted to explore more. My
aim is to understand more about it and also
to educate the youngsters of today, for they
are the future of tomorrow.”
Rina Soda was raised in Kenya where her
family was involved in their local Hindu
temple. “Religion and culture were strong in
my family, but I always tended to question it.
I didn’t want to just follow things. I wanted
answers.” Now a manager in London, she’s
been in the UK for 12 years and has felt the
pressure in the workplace to conform to the
mainstream. She says, “It didn’t work, be-
cause if you try to fit in, you’re not being
yourself. But now from all the work and
study I’m doing with Hinduism, I’m actual-
ly finding out who I am.”
coordinator of the design team. His goal was
to make the design of their publications and
events very funky and modern: “The kids we
er, everyone wants to get back to their roots.”
Jayes Vora has worked for the last five
years in sales companies and is now working
the youth out there, and it has to be done in
a way that they’ll understand.”
As Bhavit Mehta says, “We are trying as a
are targeting, their outlook is going to clubs, for himself. He was born in the UK but has group of organizations to reach the youth and
so we are trying to bring a club look, a High lived an in isolated community in Yorkshire. show them and the non-Hindu community
Street look, to Hinduism because I think it “I had always received scrambled messages, what Hinduism is and how relevant it is to-
can be done. It’s using the colors and graph- and it never worked for me. I thought of my- day. Hinduism is relevant to the non-Hindus,
ics to turn heads. As you walk in, you want to self as English and British. I see myself as an too—we can offer a lot to the host nation, to
get a real experience of what’s going on.” Indian and Hindu as well, and I think it’s my this country, as a spiritual ideal.” ∏π
Will River Aire Be the UK’s Ganga?
Permission sought to create funeral area for ash immersion rites
radford’s hindu cultural society sub-
mitted a proposal in mid-2002 to the Bradford
City Council to allow a small stretch of the
River Aire at Apperley Bridge to be used for
the scattering of ashes after a traditional Hindu fu-
neral. A spokesman for the cultural society says,
“Most of our community still travel to India for the
purpose. But using the River Aire would allow those

dreds of Hindu organizations, including
many which are just informal groups. Every
temple has its own youth group active in
spreading their message and philosophy.
There are groups which are spirituality-
based like the Chinmaya Mission, Au-
robindo Ashram, Vivekananda Society and
the Ramakrishna-Vedanta Center. There are
groups that are temple-based such as the
Saiva Temple and the Swaminarayan group.
Then there are groups which are commu-
nity based—the young Gujaratis, Sindhis,
brahmins and Patels, Lohanas and Kash-
connected to the RSS in India. He points out
the VHP has a very different role in this
country as compared to India: “They’re not
the same, because the people running the
VHP here are either of East African origin
or are British-born, so there is that change
in mentality. I think the role that they should
play is a go-between, communicating what
is happening in India to the Hindus in this
country.”
As individuals, the religious Hindu youth
in the UK cover a wide spectrum. There are
many who are knowledge-based, having
Sonali Kantaria, 25, was born in London
and studied in an English boarding school
but did not lose her moorings: “I’ve been for-
tunate that my grandfather, Maruti Ramba-
ba, is very religious. He is very devoted to
Lord Hanuman. He has been given a title
here as a saint and goes to the Kumbha Mela
where he has his own camp. I even learned
the Hanuman Chalisa [famous scripture on
the exploits of Lord Hanuman]. But as a
youth, when you get too much of it, you tend
to move away from it, though not intention-
ally. When I went to boarding school, I found
a p w i d e w o r l d p h o t o / m at t g r i g g s
who can’t afford it to also scatter ashes.” Jane Glaister,
director of arts, heritage and leisure for Bradford
says, “We have been approached by the local Hindu
and Sikh communities, and we are talking to the en-
vironmental agency.” A spokesperson for the City
Council said officials had “been receiving a number
of calls from concerned residents of the area.” Com-
munity relations are strained in Bradford, which last
year experienced riots of Muslim youth. According
the river relatively divine status poses no special the-
ological difficulty for Hindus and would likely be
done by pouring Ganga water in the Aire, as with a
sacred lake in Mauritius some years ago. River consecration: Morani Gupta by the side of the River Aire in Bradford

24 h i n d u i s m t o d ay j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3 j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 25

a l a s ta i r m u i r
Salaam Bombay: Cast of Bombay Dreams performing the song “Salaam Bombay” in classic Bollywood style
CU LT U R E
Brits Go Bollywood Bananas
“Bombay Dreams” is cultural invasion reality
B Y L AVINA M ELWANI , N EW Y ORK
s india colonizing her colonizer?
Not at gunpoint, but by the force of
ideas, by the seduction of her spices, her
tantalizing web of music, dance and Bol-
lywood cinema? Looking at the calendar of
events in London, it did indeed look like a
genuine Indian summer, with not only film,
art and music events but also major promo-
tions in department stores, malls, bookstores
and museums, as well as on television—most
of it revolving around Bollywood, India’s dis-
tinctive film industry.
Among the entertainers at the celebra-
tions in Buckingham Place last year the
Queen invited a few Desis—actress Meera
Syal and the hilarious Moti Roti group. Even
as England lost the World Cup, the film
making big news and big bucks was
Gurinder Chadha’s “Bend it Like Beck-
ham,” the story of a young British Asian
girl’s passion for soccer. The film has made
millions of dollars, been on the top ten lists
and has attracted audiences irrespective of
26 h i n d u i s m t o d ay j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3
age, gender or race. The title, for those igno-
rant of the world’s most popular sport, refers
to the ability of a kicker to impart sidespin
to the ball and thereby curve, or bend, its
path, and to David Beckham, one of Eng-
land’s top players, especially adept at the
preceding.
The words of London-based writers, in-
cluding Sir V. S. Naipaul, Salman Rushdie,
and Hanif Quereshi, have long enthralled
British readers. Joining their league is
British Indian writer Hari Kunzru whose
debut novel, The Impressionist, has earned
an incredible advance of us$2.4 million.
The British seem to have an insatiable fas-
cination with all things Indian. While books
by Indian authors are flying off the shelves,
tandoori (brick oven) fare is reputed to have
overtaken fish and chips as the national fa-
vorite. In fact, there are today over 8,000 In-
dian restaurants in the U.K. Music created
by British Asians is vitalizing the club scene
with its funky sounds and Indian dance and
theater is enriching the arts. “Kabhi Khushi
RELIGIOUS TRENDS
Churches for
Sale or Rent
Christians find them-
selves with a surplus
l av i na m e lwa n i
indus in india are astounded
when they hear that one or another
temple in America or England has
bought or rented an unused Christ-
India’s ambassador: This enterprising Britisher has made a successful taxi business em- ian church. The Church of England has so
ploying a series of Ambassador cars imported from India and outfitted with Indian themes many unused facilities that they have a web
site, http://england.anglican.org/rcsale/redch
Cardboard characters. Dialogue that would turned into an Indian dining experience by home.html, to solicit “successful and sympa-
test the patience of Mother Teresa.” Taj chefs. In a nod to the dabbawallas [who thetic conversions of and uses for redundant
The Daily Mail had a more generous deliver home-cooked lunches to Mumbai church buildings.” Since the 1960s, the
view: “It’s as subtle as a panto [a boisterous workers], tiffin boxes with curry and rice Church has put to new use about 1,500
form of British stagecraft for children], but and other meals were also introduced. buildings, and has a fairly constant listing of
then so is Bollywood, which this show joy- There was a chaiwalla offering tea to the 20 to 25 more available each year.
fully echoes. Great fun, great costumes, and thirsty visitors and, yes, the clay pot of man- While the site lists “places of worship for
a refreshing change from every other West go kulfi [Indian ice cream] was available too. other Christian bodies” as the first “suitable
End show.” In reality, I personally found that Bollywood was also the toast of the elite new use,” several have been turned into
though the story is a bit threadbare, the world with “Cinema India: The Art of Bol- Hindu temples. They include the Shri
show is extremely enjoyable with all the lywood”—a special exhibition of film posters Sanatan Mandir in Leicester and the
grand excesses associated at the prestigious Victoria Sanatan Deevya Mandal in Bristol. In the
Kabhi Gham” became the first Hindi film with Bollywood. and Albert Museum. US, the Ganesha Temple in Flushing, New
to reach number three on national cinema More, it was a wonder- Amazingly, the museum York, was begun in a church, later torn
charts.
And finally, gaudy, bawdy, lovable, larger-
than-life Bollywood is center stage in an
ful feeling to see Indians
dominate a West End
show, especially an An-
had these in its collection
for over 50 years. They tell
the history of a nation re-
down to build a traditional temple. Such
conversions of use have a distinct advantage
to Hindus because religious services are al-
amazing summer of movies, music and drew Lloyd Weber show. flected through its popu- ready an “established use” under zoning
events. Descending into the netherworld of Desis have been turning lar culture. regulations, avoiding the often very lengthy
the London Underground, you see posters up in droves—making up After a glittering open- process of obtaining new zoning permission.
of “Bombay Dreams,” right next to those of half the audience the ing party at the V&A, I But—most of the buildings currently listed
“Les Miz,” “Phantom of the Opera” and night I attended. Likely stepped out to the curb to on the Church of England’s site have a dis-
“The Lion King,” and it strikes you, the few of them had ever ven- see an unlikely sight—an tinct disadvantage for Hindus—they are sur-
strangeness of it all. tured to the West End Ambassador car in Lon- rounded by graveyards, something put as far
As part of my trip to London, I was deter- theatre district before. don! It’s no ordinary vehi- from a temple as possible in India. ∏π
mined to see “Bombay Dreams.” “Dreams” And this may actually cle, but a tribute to Bolly-
is Andrew Lloyd Webber’s production of A. make more India-related wood, upholstered with
R. Rahman’s musical at the Apollo Victoria shows viable as a commer- Bollywood posters, with a
V&A
Theater. It was almost three years in the cial venture. whiff of incense and, yes,
making, with a reported budget of $7.2 mil- As the crowds bombard- Movies: 1957 movie poster on there’s film music, too. To-
lion. Among Webber’s other productions are ed “Bombay Dreams,” display at the V&A Museum bias is the quirky British own-
“Phantom of the Opera” and “Cats”—the they also headed to the er of Karma Kars with sever-
longest running stage musical ever. Bollywood tamasha [an exhibition or fair] at al themed Ambassador taxis—Maharaja,
Bollywood films aren’t everyone’s cup of Selfridges department store, its biggest and Sheesh Mahal, Kama Sutra, besides the Bol-
tea, and neither was “Dreams.” In a scathing most successful promotion ever. In a period lywood car, each available at $64/hour. “I
review, The Times wrote, “Consider the writ- of three weeks, over 1.5 million people vis- lived in India longer than most Indians!”
ing talent that Lloyd-Webber assembled for ited the London and Manchester stores. De- brags Tobias, cool and very Desi in his white
this show: the film director Shekhar Kapur; signer Nitin Desai, who’s designed the sets cotton kurta pajama. “Karma Kars is not a
the veteran lyricist Don Black; the Goodness of such films as “Lagaan” and “Devdas,” had cab company—it’s a philosophy—and the phi-
Gracious Me creator Meera Syal. Then con- turned the place into a colorful Bollywood losophy is that the journey is more important
sider the results. Scenes that lurch into each carnival, complete with a movie star’s bed- than the arrival. So enjoy the journey in life
other like blind elephants. A plot that disin- room. and don’t always think about the destination!”
bvb
tegrates into a ragbag of sitcom skits on Miss Selfridges’ food halls had been trans- And certainly a good number of Britishers,
World, women’s lib and the like. The lamest formed into a little corner of India, with native and imports, were making good use of It’s what?: Bharat Vidya Bhavan’s London
ending in West End history. Trite lyrics. street foods, while the main restaurant was India to enjoy their journey. ∏π center is a former church building
j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 27
 BOOKS
By Tara Katir, Hawaii, USA
ast year i was honored with a
visit from Indra Sharma and his
daughters. While we were chatting,
his daughter Nimisha noticed a
Ganesha print on the wall and ca-
sually remarked, “My father paint-
ed that.” Sharma’s dedicated pursuit of de-
votional art has had a greater impact on
modern Hindu culture than he ever could
have imagined. Most Hindu homes world-
wide will have at least one poster made of
his paintings, which has resulted in gen-
erations of Hindus being touched by Shar-
ma’s artistic interpretations of the Divine.
“Prayer through painting” perfectly de-
scribes Indra Sharma’s life and work. “I
Divine Artistry
paint with my heart and through medita-
tion,” he says, “I approach my work with a
sense of devotion—bhakti. I study scriptures
to understand the nature of the characters I
paint, and then I use my imagination and re-
call any faces I have come across that match
the scriptural description. It is difficult to
convey how all this works, but basically I
carry the feeling of Godliness. The main
Behold the lifetime work of award-winning artist Indra Sharma in an magic is to put soul into the painting to en-
extraordinary collection of paintings of Gods and Goddesses liven it. And I have given all my life to it.” A
retrospective of Sharma’s work, In a World of
Gods and Goddesses, (194 pages, Mandala
Publishers, USA, 2001, us$49.95) allows art
28 h i n d u i s m t o d ay j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h, 2 0 0 3
An artist’s strokes: (clockwise from far left)
Mother Yashoda with baby Krishna; Lord
Ganesha; Indra Sharma at his easel; Danc-
ing Lord Siva; Goddess Saraswati
lovers, Hindu or otherwise, to savor the rich-
ness of his gift. Winner of the 2001 presti-
gious Benjamin Franklin Award, in the
metaphysics and spirituality category, this
magnificent book is a tribute to the genius of
Sharma, who currently lives in Mumbai, In-
dia.
Following a short biography of his life
by Dr. Yogesh Atal, a personal
endorsement from Satguru
Sivaya Subramuniyaswami
and sweet words from Shar-
ma’s daughter Nimisha, the re-
maining eight chapters pro-
vide a short history of Hindu
art, mythology and the rich
oral tradition of India, followed
by individual chapters on the
images of God. Ganesha, Siva,
Devi, Vishnu, Krishna, the Ra-
mayana and the Mahabharata
are gloriously personified in a
bold and dramatic style. In one
line-drawing, Ganesha appears so alive, it is
easy to believe He is ready to dance off the
page. Sharma’s artistic portrayals of the Hin-
j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3 h i n d u i s m t o d ay
du Gods show them with not only strength
and inner power but filled with grace and
beauty.
Each chapter has a page devoted to the
iconography of the Hindu pantheon.
Throughout the book, the mystical drama of
Hindu mythology, told through Pu-
ranic stories, is combined with
Hindu philosophical beliefs such
as karma, practices of yoga, the
impermanence of all things and
worship of the divine in all its
many forms. This provides an in-
formative and colorful textual ac-
companiment to Sharma’s work
while a deeper significance of each
painting is unfolded.
This book would grace every
Hindu home. Each oversize page of
glossy, colorful photographs is a treasure
trove of Hindu portraiture. You will find the
soul of the divine in each of Indra Sharma’s
works, and a precious remembrance of a
life’s work from one of India’s premier mod-
ern painters. ∏π
29
 all photos: rajesh Sharma

dinodia photo library

and hari mahidhar

On the set in India,

filming the television series
Om Namah Shivai

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TELEVISION

Less than 15 years ago, great movie makers like B. R. Chopra molded religion into
blockbuster mega-drama and took the limelight of Indian TV by storm. It was a hard
act to follow, but a new generation of independent producers are at it again.

By Rajiv Malik, New Delhi, India
unita bagga is a 52-year-old
New Delhi housewife who starts
her day at five in the morning
watching TV. Not what you might
expect from a deeply religious per-
son who, only a few years ago, might
have strongly denounced television as a
worldly distraction. Sunita didn’t change. In-
dian TV did. It got religious. The TV Sunita
watches in that early morning time is San-
skar, one of India’s two new, full-time reli-
gious channels.
This noteworthy transformation of Indian
television, which has manifested most sig-
nificantly within the past two years, began
late in the 198os. Back then there were only
two TV channels, and both were produced,
owned and controlled by Doordarshan, the
government television network. In 1987,
Doordarshan broke away from secular busi-
ness-as-usual and commissioned famed
movie maker Ramanand Sagar to produce a
television version of the famous Indian liter-
ary epic Ramayana. Sagar created a 70-
episode series that was so hugely successful
the network followed a year later with an-
other Indian magnum opus, the Mahab-
harata. This Mahabharata, produced in 94
episodes by B. R. Chopra (see sidebar), was
technically superior to the Ramayana and
even more popular. Far beyond even high
expectations, this masterpiece completely
mesmerized all of India during its showing
in 1988 and 1989. The Ramayana, Mahab-
harata and their producers were showered
with innumerable awards. A new age in In-
dian television was born. Yet, no one could
have anticipated how this era would develop
in the years that followed.
When Hinduism Today asked me to
take a peep into this world of religious TV, I
thought it would be interesting. It turned
out to be an adventure. First, I had to learn
a little history.
Doordarshan made a bold move in televis-
ing the Ramayana and Mahabharata, and
knowledgeable sources credit then Prime
Minister Rajiv Gandhi for making it happen.
With the dawn of the 1990s, the staggering
popularity of these two lone epics had stim-
ulated uncomfortable growing pains for
Doordarshan. Higher standards had been
set in technical production, and mind-bog-
gling levels of viewership had to be matched.
Through the years, Doordarshan tried and
failed to repeat the miracle of those awe-
some late 80s. Slowly the media giant was
forced to gravitate back toward its more re-
liable secular repertoire. Yet a taste for reli-
gious television in India had been acquired.
If Doordarshan could not serve up more,
somebody would.
As I sat comfortably in my New Delhi of-
fice planning the pursuit of this story, it
looked like it was going to be fun and easy.
Almost immediately, however, I was chal-
lenged with some obstacles. It took me near-
ly two months just to set up interview ap-
pointments by phone with all of the
necessary TV broadcasting elite in Mumbai.
The two main religious channel owners
were naturally suspicious of my requests for
an in-depth account of how they operated
internally. They were only further intimidat-
ed when I said I planned to fly down and
pay them a visit. I found out later that they
thought Hinduism Today might be consid-
ering the creation of some third, rival chan-
nel. I also later learned that each was miffed
that the other was being given equal cover-
age. After much discussion, everyone was fi-
nally content to submit to what in the end
turned out to be a most enjoyable and ben-
eficial affair for all involved.
Mumbai was drenched with rain during
my week of interviews there—so much so
that even the city’s daily life and business
were greatly disturbed. Vehicles stood still
in the streets, and getting from one place to
another was almost impossible. It all had the
makings of good television drama.
My first two days were spent in the con-
servative office/studio complex of Aastha
Television. Then I was off to visit the folks
at Sanskar, Aastha’s competition. Following The wisdom years: Although B. R. Chopra has accomplished much for Indian TV, his highest priority is being a good and honest man
this, I had the good fortune of speaking with
program executives at Zee Entertainment, a
non-religious channel which nevertheless
B. R. Chopra Was There When It All Began
The “grand old man of Cinema” talks about life, movies, TV and religion

ythology is a part
of life, particularly in
India. Life in India still
retains Hinduism and
Hindu culture. For many, many
years I have been performing
havan every Sunday. I feel that
time which I spend away from
worldly activity is something
good. It gives me some purifi-
cation and alters my attitude
toward life. I am a true Hindu,
but I am also a modern man.
Whether or not the youth
A win-win situation: Famous devotional musicians like (left to right) Lalitya Munshaw, Anup Jalota and Sri Vinod Agarwal love being fea- watch religious TV programs
tured on the religious channels where they can enjoy some of the recognition that more commercial musicians take for granted
depends on the attitude of the
father and mother. Things are
different these days. The at-
mosphere of Mumbai is differ-
ent. It is heterogeneous. I know
these people. They are reli-
gious minded. Being religious
and being religious minded are
not the same. I cannot say that
I am a very religious man. But
I am religious minded. I am
very much aware of the impor-
tance of religion. The Rig Veda
says to be a human being first.
The film industry has its
own ways, but it would be
wrong to say that people drink
because they follow the stars. I
have been in this business for
the last sixty years, and I do
not drink. At my residence no-
body drinks. But nobody is
vegetarian in our house either.
Things are changing very
quickly now, but religion is
never going to die. Even in the
West this is true.
My message for the Hindus
of the world is to be a good
Hindu. I have one principle in
life. I strive to be good and
honest. If I go out of station—
even if only for one day—I go
with my wife. I have never
seen the face of another
woman in all of my life, though
I have worked with many ac-
tresses. And there were many
who sought to befriend me.
I have asked my son Ravi to
adhere to this principle and he
does. I want to be a good, hon-
est man, and for this I seek the
blessings of God. The blessings
of God are very important.

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has produced a highly regarded one-hour
religious program every day for the past ten
years. It was the people at Zee that intro-
duced me to renowned film producer Ravi
Chopra, who in turn was gracious enough to
arrange some chat time for me with his fa-
ther, Sri B. R. Chopra, Indian cinema’s
“grand old man.” This latter interview, com-
pletely unplanned, turned out to be the high
point of my journey.
Aastha—nestled in Worli, an industrial
suburb of Mumbai—is well equipped with
hi-tech studios for recording, dubbing and
video taping. When I was there, the whole
complex was abuzz with the sights and
sounds of Hinduism in action. Videotapes of
bhajans and lectures were busily being edit-
ed and, before my very eyes, entire pro-
grams were being assembled. I even attend-
ed the taping of a numerology session being
shot live in one of their twelve studios.
The brain behind Aastha is Kirit C.
Mehta, Chairman and Managing Director of
CMM Broadcasting Network Limited,
which owns and operates the Aastha Televi-
sion Channel. Mehta, who is physically dis-
abled due to polio, is a man with tremen-
dous willpower. Talking with him (see
sidebar), I could actually feel his will at
work as he vivaciously described his vision
of the aastha (faith) of Hinduism coming
alive in the minds of his viewers. Mehta, a
Jain, originally wanted to produce a channel
featuring Jain programming exclusively.
However, because he could not get the nec-
essary financial support from the Jain com-
munity, he created Aastha, which is today
90% Hindu in content.
In contrast to Aastha’s huge complex, San-
skar’s office/studio, near Nariman Point in
the heart of Mumbai, is modest, to say the
least. I found brothers Dilip and Dinesh
Kabra, Sanskar’s joint owners, to be practical
and humble souls. I had met Dilip, the elder
brother, in Allahabad during the Maha-
kumbha Mela. We were both there as jour-
nalists. Dilip even interviewed me at that
time for Sanskar, asking me to tell their
Hanuman on Sanskar TV
viewership about our magazine, Hinduism
Today. So our rapport was instantaneous.
“I interviewed you in Allahabad,” Dilip
said as I walked into his office. “And now
you are interviewing me. Wonderful are the
ways of God in settling the affairs of men.”
Dilip immediately organized interviews
for me with two popular bhajan singers:
Anup Jalota and Vinod Agarwal—both fea-
tured on Sanskar. He also arranged for me to
attend an evening program of bhajans by
Anup Jalota taking place that evening in a
popular five-star Mumbai hotel. It was most
touching to witness the deep, heartfelt devo-
tion of a packed audience fully immersed in
divine music and thoughts of God right in
the middle of a city much more famous for
glitz, glamour, late-night parties and dis-
cotheques. I left the bhajan performance
convinced that regardless of Western influ-
ence, Hinduism would never die.
As might be expected, devotional musi-
cians like Jalota love this swelling wave of in-
terest in faith-based television. “These peo-
ple who have dared to start these
channels—I bow before them,” says Anup
Jalota. “May God bestow upon them wisdom
and strength so that they can keep doing
this noble work.”
Kirit Mehta and Dilip Kabra both main-
tain that religious channels in general, unlike
entertainment channels, develop a deep and
enduring relationship with viewers. It is a
relationship based upon spiritual commit-
ment. Both channel administrators lament
that they suffer greatly from lack of funds
and that their financial ambition right now
is simply to break even.
Dinesh Kabra, Dilip’s younger brother, in
charge of marketing and promotion at San-
skar, says the first and largest challenge is
always simply making contact with adver-
tisers. “Today there are at least one hundred
channels upon which media planners can
advertise,” says Dinesh. “They must get the
best possible value for their money and
need to be convinced that advertising with
us will fetch them good results. Naturally,
they ask about our viewership. Since a rat-
ing system has not yet been devised for new
entrants like us, we cannot give them solid
figures. Obviously, this makes it tough get-
ting accepted.”
For Zee TV, the one religious hour they
feature does not have to make money. The
rest of their entertainment channel does
that. Zee program director Prakash Menon
says, “The whole Zee TV family is very re-
ligious. We are telecasting our religious pro-
gramming purely as a service to our viewer-
ship. We understand the importance of
divinity. But being an entertainment chan-
nel, we have limitations.”
For both Aastha and Sanskar, attracting
youth and understanding their needs is a
primary concern. Mehta asserts that any re-
ligious education given to the children is
better than what they are getting now,
which is nothing. And, he stresses, they are
interested, contrary to public opinion.
The programming for both channels has
been criticized for poor content, lack of fo-
cus and low-grade technical presentation.
Yet even the worst critics concede that what
has transpired thus far is a laudable begin-
ning. Advocates far outnumber faultfinders.
Today, right now, any time, you can tune in
to the best of India’s bhajans and discourses
in the comfort and convenience of your own
home on your own TV. What is lacking in
creative originality and slick presentation is
made up for by the “reality effect” of being
present at a live event.
Although both Aastha and Sanskar un-
abashedly draw most of their educational
content from a grand wealth of ancient
knowledge stemming from the Vedas, the
central scripture of Hinduism, they both re-
frain from openly acknowledging this obvi-
ous Hindu source. When I questioned them
about this directly, they explained that to-
day’s industry insiders are loath to use the
“H” word because they feel it diminishes
viewership. If a station calls itself Hindu,
they assert, all of India’s non-Hindu “isms”
will be less inclined to watch.
They also contend that reference to Hin-
duism will imply to many a more sectarian,
“narrow-minded” or “old-fashioned” ap-
proach to religion in general. With the Indi-
an economy striving to go global, as it is in
today’s faster moving international society,
the thrust in television broadcasting, as well
as in other forms of communication, is to at-
tract the more “open-minded, free-thinking
Morari bapu on Sanskar TV
modern man,” both from within India’s bor-
ders and beyond.
For these people, “spiritualism” is a more
accessible and magnetic term to use in iden-
tifying television content. Further validating
this perspective, advertisers—especially in-
ternational advertisers—are making it abun-
dantly clear that they prefer the secular
rather than the Hindu identity. Finally, the
television producers rationalize, Hindus
watching these religious channels will know
that their content is Hindu and will not have
to be told.
The producers of Aastha and Sanskar are
swimming boldly upstream, against the
tides of easy financial success. No one—not
even their competitors—would deny their
courage. Though for the future they promise
to broaden their presentation by including
programs loosely classified in a category of-
ten termed “New Age” or “spiritual,” they
are in their heart of hearts deeply Hindu
and are doing this work for no other reason
than to express, share and propagate the
Hindu dharma. No one has asked them to
do what they are doing, and the obstacles
they face are formidable. Producing these
channels at great cost, no profit and for very
little thanks, they step courageously into an
uncertain future, fueled only by boundless
respect for Indian spiritual traditions and a
tireless urge to serve. They are clearing a
path for others to follow.
Television and electronic media are tak-
ing on a new role in modern times. They are
no longer just vehicles for news and enter-
tainment with a little education thrown in to
ease public conscience. Though this change
is most evident in channels like Aastha and
Sanskar, almost all of India’s television chan-
nels—even the most secular—now have at
least one 60-minute, early-morning time slot
dedicated to bhajans, discourses and yoga
teaching sessions. It is a quiet revolution of a
unique sort, taking place almost impercepti-
bly in mothers’ kitchens and family living
rooms. It’s India’s own version of “reality
TV”—religious reality—coming to life.
I feel strongly that the day will come
when being openly Hindu will increase and
not decrease the viewership of an Indian
religious channel. When Hinduism is more
fully appreciated for its vast treasure of an-
cient wisdom, it won’t have to be sold. It
will sell itself. For this, education is needed.
And what better place to educate than on
television. ∏π

Viewer’s Speak Out “On Sanskar and Aastha, I watch

bhajans for two hours a day. I am a
“Religious programming is successful in India because people here are interested in
religion. More than anywhere else in the world, we are deeply inclined toward a

About Religious TV fan of Sri Anup Jalota. I also like the

pujas of Mahalakshmi, Ganesh and
Sai Baba. I want to learn new bha-
religious way of life. Other religions say one thing is bad and another is good. Our
religion says: ‘If you do this, this happens; if you do that, that happens. Now decide
what you want to do.’ These new religious channels are rendering a service, but it
jans. My mother watches these could be better. Life is becoming busier these days, and we don’t have much time
“These channels are really a boon channels with me in the evenings to tell our kids what to do. We are losing touch with our spirituality. This is obvi-
for our children. There have been and encourages me to learn to sing.” ous. These programs could most certainly fill that communication gap. But the
so many attempts to divide Hin- Riya Purushottam Kalawant problem is: they are not interesting. How can you grab the attention of someone if
duism. No one has succeeded yet. Ten-year-old student your presentation is not interesting? This was one of the reasons my father was so
These religious channels are doing successful. He knew how to grab the attention of the masses. If these channels could
their part during these modern “Children will do what they see their show good programs and give new information, I would ask my children to watch
times to help pass the Hindu her- parents doing. Because my husband them. But if they are not interesting, a child will sit for a few minutes and then run
itage on to the next generation. and I watch these programs, my away, regardless of what we say. We as Hindus should first strive to understand
These two channels, Aastha and daughter has also developed an in- Hinduism. It is not only a way of worshiping God. It is a way of living life. The
Sanskar, are very appropriate. terest in them. My friends and their problem with a lot of us today is that we want to look good, rather than really be-
They are like healthy blood in the families also watch these channels, ing good. I came into film-making at the age of 23 just after I finished college. I per-
body. If Aastha and Sanskar are and we keep on telling others about form havan every Sunday with my father and our family. In our house our Hindu
there, our life is bright.” the sadhus that give the lectures.” culture is very much alive. We have tried to maintain that. Our children are very
Sri P.R. Dawar Mrs. Soniya Kalawant close to us. My father started all of this years ago, and I am continuing it.”
Naturopath Housewife and mother of Riya Ravi Chopra: Eminent film producer,
son of veteran producer Sri B. R. Chopra

34 h i n d u i s m t o d ay j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3 j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 35

Big Plans for a Big Future in “Spiritual” TV
Kirit C. Mehta and wife Neena discovered aastha, “faith,” and
created a religious channel by the same name to prove it
A man with a vision: Kirit C. Mehta is Chairman
and Managing Director, CMM Broadcasting
Network Limited, which owns the Aastha
television channel
36 h i n d u i s m t o d ay j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3
Hinduism Today correspondent Rajiv Malik sat with
Kirit and Neena Mehta at their office in Worli, an in-
dustrial suburb of Mumbai. During animated inter-
views, they enthusiastically shared their thoughts and
plans for the future—only two percent of which, they
say, have been realized so far. First, excerpts from
Kirit’s comments:
What is the aim of Aastha? Aastha means faith. The
aim of Aastha is to increase faith—faith in our people,
faith in our country, faith in our religion and faith in
God. Faith is something which is not born. In Hindi
we say that it pragats, which means it appears or hap-
pens. Anything that is born ultimately dies. This word
aastha was put by God in my brain.
Is Aastha primarily for Hindus? The biggest chunk of
these programs is undoubtedly Hindu in content, be-
cause that is the major faith here in India. We are defi-
nitely propagating, telecasting and broadcasting Hin-
duism. We have no shame in admitting this. Absolutely
not. We are also a multilingual channel, although the
predominant language is Hindi. Our broader target is
to reach all of the religions and spiritual movements
that have come out of India: Jainism, Buddhism,
Sikhism, Hinduism—all the “isms” that were born in
India, and more.
Besides being religious, how is Aastha different from
other more secular Indian TV channels? Normally a
new channel becomes popular in the big cities, then
proliferates out to the smaller areas. Aastha made it
first in small towns; then it went to big cities. Also,
people usually watch television from about eight in the
morning until eleven at night. Aastha viewers watch
from before dawn until after midnight. Forty million
households are connected to cable TV in India today.
But the number of people actually watching is much
more. In villages, where Aastha is most popular, people
congregate in community halls and homes to watch
television together.
Do you have any religious programs for the youth?
The negative influence of the West on our youth is
partly our fault. We have encouraged it. But at the
same time, Western countries and their people are
being influenced by the Indian way of life and the
“exotic East.” Aastha tries to show both the East and
the West from a positive point of view, so that people
can judge for themselves what is good and what is
bad. The problem is that, until now, the youth have
not been getting any sort of religious education. Once
you give them something—even a little bit—you will
find that they want more. The youth have a lot of in-
terest in religion.
What is drawing youth toward Aastha? They have problems. They
have a lot more problems than older people do. Old people have
fulfilled their worldly responsibilities. The children are just start-
ing. We are making a great effort to produce yoga and meditation
programs for the youth. In these programs we are trying to show
how religion and science go together, hand in hand. Any presenta-
tion of religion that has a scientific approach will definitely attract
the youth. They want to understand the meanings of the rituals
they see others following blindly.
Were not their parents the same way when they were young?
There is a basic difference in the last three generations. The first
generation had blind faith. The second generation were fence sit-
ters—neither here nor there. They just did what their elders did.
This new generation wants clear an-
swers to their questions and logical solu-
tions to their problems. In yoga, they
want to know, straight away, how they
can attain liberation.
You have often referred to your TV
channel as “spiritual” rather than “re-
ligious?” What does “spiritual” mean?
India’s future religious programming
will be socio-spiritual, and promoting it
this way is our mission. The word reli-
gion will not be much used. Spiritual-
ism will be our key word. The prevailing
attitude will be: “We cannot change the
world. We can only change ourselves.”
This is not to say that we will be shy
about promoting traditional Hinduism.
We will not. But for various reasons—so-
cial, political and economical—we do
not want to propagate it all the time.
Rather than preaching the teachings of
Hinduism as a religion, we will talk
about its best practices, such as toler-
ance, charity and other such positive
things. However, we must also teach ba-
sic Hinduism in simple terminology.
You recently covered the Kumbha Mela.
Can you tell us a little about that? We
have covered a lot of religious festivals,
including the Kumbha Mela. Before the Full Support: Neena Mehta, wife of Kirit Mehta, tive until the clothes wear out, earning
Mela, we were there when the roads maintains a spiritual look on Aastha
were being built and the infrastructure
of the special city was being planned. During the Mela, we provid- something big, like a house. The punyam connected to this might
ed partial coverage, live. We had four teams filming four hours
every day for two months. We were working right with the UP
government on this, and it was very successful. Hundreds of peo-
ple told us that they had come to the Kumbha Mela only after
watching it on our channel. During the next Mela, we plan to pro-
vide live broadcast of the whole thing right through.
Does Aastha face difficulties? For us, the biggest challenge is hav-
ing enough money to go worldwide. As Bill Gates had a dream of
putting a computer in every house on Earth, we have a dream that
every house around the globe should be watching Aastha. But we
have had so many stumbling blocks and so many problems: govern- continue to put our heart and soul into it. We have realized that due
ment licenses, foreign companies, foreign transmission, Reserve
Bank of India permissions and more. Yet never has our work
stopped. Where will the money come from? We do not know. But
it is coming and we are growing. In the beginning, I used to read
all of the mail myself. Now it is just too much.
Do you have any competition? There is Doordarshan. But in the
name of secularism, Doordarshan has never featured spirituality-
based programs. This niche has always been absolutely empty. Pri-
vate players won’t enter this field either. For them, the whole issue
of religion is just too sensitive and causes too many problems, be-
sides the fact that it does not make money. It is true that this chan-
nel is not yet profitable. But it could be. I see “pay TV” as our ulti-
mate revenue model. With a strong subscription base, we could
make this channel a wholesome, well-financed platform of commu-
nication, completely free of commercial advertising. The world-
wide Hindu and Indian population is vast. There should be no dif-
ficulty in raising revenue from subscriptions.
Can you speculate on the future of Aastha? This work is at a
nascent stage. We have not done even
two percent of what we have envi-
sioned ourselves doing. We are holding
more than five thousand years of wis-
dom from hundreds and thousands of
saints and sages, and we have not even
begun to put a fraction of that for-
ward. This channel will become a part
of every Hindu household, just like
water, electricity and gas. The cable
operators say that we are a very differ-
ent channel for them. They say that
once they start providing Aastha to the
viewer, it stays. Once it enters a home,
it enters forever.
Neena Metha, Kirit’s wife, fully sup-
ports Aastha with lofty thoughts and a
positive attitude. Here are excerpts
from her responses:
Can you share some of the inspiration
that helped create Aastha? We wanted
to utilize our money in a fine way. So we
are doing this. Spiritual donations are of
several types. There is anna daan, or
the donation of food, which would be
effective only until the food is digested.
The punyam (good merit) from this
only lasts that much time. Then there is
the donation of clothes, which is effec-
punyam for a little bit more time, but
not much. Then there is the donation of
last for years but would finally be gone when the house fell down.
The best donation of all is gyan daan, the donation of knowledge. It
lasts not only one lifetime but many. So I asked my husband, “Why
not undertake this job of gyan daan?” He thought it was a wonder-
ful idea. Now, there could have been several ways to perform gyan
daan. We could have distributed books, for instance, but not every-
body can read books. The obvious option for us was to perform this
service through the media. In two years time our dreams of doing
this have come true. I fully believe that if one’s intentions are good,
then good happens. Even our karmas are created, based on our in-
tentions. How Aastha has come up is truly a miracle. That is why we
to faith—which is the meaning of aastha—much can be achieved.
The whole world should have faith, and the whole world should
progress. Things may be difficult to achieve, but they are never ab-
solutely impossible. Our story is like a dream story that you might
see on television.
j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 37
 TRANSITION
Preserving a Heritage of Devotional Bliss
Against all odds, Dilip Kabra holds his own with TV media giants
Brothers Dilip and Dinesh Kabra own and operate
Sanskar, which—like Aastha—is strongly disadvan-
taged on a playing field long dominated by well estab-
lished, secular television giants. Dilip talks with
Hinduism Today corespondent Rajiv Malik about
the challenges, rewards and prospects of this
difficult work.

What is Sanskar trying to achieve with religious TV?

We are a part of a civilization that is devotional by
temperament. In our tradition we stress bhavananda,
the bliss of devotion, and not bhogananda, the bliss of
material life. From the influence of this attitude
through the ages, barbarians have become civilized
and civilized men have become saints. Yet today we are
not fully following this path of bhavananda. More can
be done. Religious media can help by being a sort of
modern-day guru. To be more precise, TV stations like
Sanskar can act as mediums between India’s great gu-
rus and the masses. There is also here a wonderful ex-
ample of time management for today’s rush-rush gener-
ation. While one person may spend years striving
diligently to understand a certain scripture, we can—if
we do our job intelligently—take the essence of that
scripture, distill it down and provide it for him and
others in one concise ten-minute TV segment. There is
a great power here. Our duty is to select the correct
material and present it in the right way. If the right
message reaches the right people—which are primarily
the youth—our job is done. And, of course, we do not
have to create anything new. Our great rishis have giv-
en us more than we could ever possibly use.

Who is your primary audience? Seventy percent of our

audience consists of women. In rural areas and villages,
after the husbands leave for work, the wives watch us.
Even while working around the house. Bhajan is a big
part of bhakti (devotion). Our perspective on life bene-
fits from the discourses, but bhajan is important for de-
votion. When a circus comes to a village, music will be
played first to gather a crowd. In the same way, we pro-
vide the best possible bhajan first to establish a bond
with our viewers. Then the holy men will speak.
What do these holy men say? What is Sanskar’s message? We fea-
ture Hinduism. If you ask why we feature Hinduism, I say that it is
because Hinduism is the fundamental civilization of man. Where
culture, devotion and religion come into play, we must work very
cautiously. We must know the subject which we are delivering.
Only in this way can we be correct and successful in educating
Working smarter: With intelligent
programming and careful editing, Dilip
Kabra makes a little money go a long way
second advertisement on a premium channel would cost perhaps
$4,000. That same slot on Sanskar is only about $25. We are com-
peting with these big commercial channels for everything: adver-
tisement, viewership, even resources and employees. Of course,
this makes it difficult.
Do these difficulties cause a quality loss in your broadcasting?
He taught the world that
Our strongest point is that we carefully choose, analyze and edit
Truth is One, Paths are Many

integral yoga institute

the people. Today our channel is considered to be a spiritual chan-
nel. This is some mark of our success.
How is Sanskar doing financially? Everything is going fairly well
right now. I am convinced that if we present the right content with
the right attitude, we will get the right support. On this channel,
content is king. If we sacrifice content for money, then problems
will arise. We are running this channel at a very low profile. A ten-
what we present. Our viewers expect to see something that will
touch their hearts and minds. If we become successful in estab-
lishing intelligent devotion, then we will be successful in making
an impact. The impact will bring the viewers and hold them.
With limited means, a lot can be done. A bhajan singer does not
spend money on writing scripts or verses. A monk requires no His ecumenical spirit: The logo of Swamiji’s
overhead. We have lots of plans for the future. There are many sur- Integral Yoga Institute reflects his
prises in store. Stay tuned. emphasis on the oneness of all religions

38 h i n d u i s m t o d ay j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3 j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 39

Sharing the stage: (above) Swamiji poses with a
live bearded friend and (below) with his guru,
Swami Sivananda
transcended my body and mind,”
recalled Swami Satchidananda in de-
scribing the crowning achievement of
his yoga practice. “I forgot my individu-
ality. It is impossible to explain exactly
what this is. I must have spent several hours
in that state. Then I heard a humming sound
coming from a long distance away. Slowly,
slowly, it became louder. As it neared, I be-
all photos: integral yoga institute
came aware again of my mind and body. I
came out of the cave but could not see any-
thing in the normal way. All over, I saw light,
light, light. The whole world appeared to be a
mass of light. There was only peace every-
where. After that, I had this experience often.”
It was most appropriate that Swami Sat-
chidananda should be named after that ex-
perience, defined in Sanskrit as savikalpa
samadhi, or satchidananda, which literally
means “existence-consciousness-bliss.” That
samadhi experience occurred in 1949 at
Palani Hills, South India, when Swami was
40 h i n d u i s m t o d ay j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3
going to know what the American youth can
do for humanity.” Many credit his presence
and blessings for the peaceful atmosphere
that prevailed throughout that festival.
Swami became a US citizen in 1976. By
then he had already established the Integral
Yoga Institute (IYI), which today has ash-
rams and centers throughout the USA and
around the world. At about this same time,
he founded the Center for Spiritual Studies
in collaboration with a Catholic monk, a Zen
monk and a Jewish Rabbi. This affiliation
featured an annual event called “The Swami
and the Rabbi,” which was enormously pop-
ular in New York City. The famous Yoga Ec-
umenical Retreats which followed attracted
thousands of aspirants from all religions,
bringing Swami recognition even at the Vat-
ican in Rome.
In 1981, after establishing large residen-
tial centers in both California and Con-
necticut, he moved his international head-
quarters to a 750-acre plot of land near
Buckingham, Virginia. There he formed
Satchidananda Ashram, Yogaville. Although
Yogaville was and is a completely self-con-
tained town in every sense, its jewel is the
h i n d u i s m t o d ay
35. On August 19, 2002, in Chennai—just
about 300 miles away—he attained Maha-
samadhi, which means “a great soul’s con-
scious release from the physical body.” Al-
though these two life-defining experiences
occurred in Swami’s homeland of India,
America was the stage upon which Swami
Satchidananda played out the better part of
his 40-year spiritual destiny.
Sri Gurudev, as Swami was affectionally
referred to by his devotees, first came to the
United States in 1966 as the guest of artist
Peter Max and filmmaker Conrad Rooks. Al-
though these two men assisted him in be-
coming instantly popular as a messenger of
peace during the turbulent 60s, it was in
1969 in an upstate New York cow pasture at
the three-day Woodstock Music Festival that
he gained the name and fame that would
help cement him into American history.
There he told 400,000 youth, “The whole
world is watching you. The entire world is
Light Of Truth Universal Shrine (LOTUS).
From a beautifully crafted water world of
ponds, lakes and fountains, LOTUS rises
majestically in the form of a huge, surreal,
pink and white lotus flower, its petals made
of Italian, glass mosaic tile. Inside, a vast, vi-
brant circular room contains a central altar
with a three-dimensional yantra (a geomet-
ric form designed to focus spiritual ener-
gies). Above this yantra rises a 22-foot col-
umn of blue light that feeds into a radiant
pink hub at the temple’s highest point. From
there, it splinters into twelve rays that arch
gracefully to connect with twelve shrines
equally spaced around the wall of the room.
Each of these twelve shrines represents one
of the world’s major faiths. LOTUS is dedi-
cated to the one divine light which all reli-
gions share. This central concept of the ba-
sic oneness of all things has always been at
the core of Swami’s teaching. In 1991, as a
compliment to Swami’s beautiful LOTUS
and in respect for his own Hindu heritage, a
glass-walled Lord Nataraja shrine, spon-
sored by his friend Dr. Karan Singh, was
built on the hilltop overlooking Yogaville.
Born in South India not far from Coim-
batore in the village of Chetti-
palayam, Swami enjoyed a con-
tented childhood in a religious
Hindu family. Before his concep-
tion, his mother prayed and per-
formed penance for a spiritual
child. Her desire was fulfilled in
1914 with the birth of Rama-
swamy.
It was after his wife’s sudden,
early death that Ramaswamy un-
dertook serious meditative disci-
plines. He was initiated into san-
nyas (monasticism) by Swami
Sivananda of Rishikesh, India.
This occurred in 1949, the same
year as his enlightenment. Hence-
forth, he was known as Swami
Satchidananda.
His people, his work, his temple: (Top left) Swamiji relaxes with
the late Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, publisher of Hin-
duism Today; (bottom left) with his staff and children from his
school; the Light Of Truth Universal Shrine (LOTUS)
j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3
Swami’s trademark method of teaching was
to couch useful wisdom in practical, often hu-
morous, examples. His devotees loved him for
it and often called him “Papa.” “A mother
feels great joy in bringing forth a child even
though it causes her great pain,” he once told
a small group of close devotees. “Because of
her love, she accepts the pain.”
Dr. Dean Ornish, nationally recognized as
an authority on heart disease, is one of Swa-
mi’s close disciples. His health and nutrition
programs are based on the principles and
practices of Integral Yoga and are now revo-
lutionizing the lifestyles of thousands of
Americans including Bill and Hillary Clin-
ton, who hired him during the Clinton ad-
ministration to retrain the White House
chefs in healthier food preparation. Among
his other disciples are singer-composer Ca-
role King, who donated 600 acres to his Vir-
ginia ashram; jazz pianist Alice Coltrane
and actresses Diane Ladd, Laura Dern and
Sally Kirkland.
For more than 30 years, Swami enjoyed a
deep and fruitful friendship with Satguru
Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, the late publish-
er of Hinduism Today. In 1994 he re-
ceived from Hinduism Today the “Hindu
of the Year” award in recognition for a life-
time of service to yoga and mankind. Swa-
mi will always be remembered as one of
Hinduism’s most respected and loved inter-
national ambassadors. His teachings are fol-
lowed by people of nearly every religious,
social and cultural background.
Active to the very end of his days, Swami
attended the Global Peace Conference of
South India as its keynote speaker right be-
fore his passing. His final interment ceremo-
ny took place following his wishes on August
28, 2002, back in America at the Chidam-
baram Samadhi Shrine near LOTUS. The
physical cause of his death was a ruptured
thoracic aneurysm. Swami appointed no
successors. His Institute is run by a board of
trustees. ∏π
h i n d u i s m t o d ay 41

Devout followers bring abundant gifts, prayers
and petitions in loving worship of Lord Siva
INSIGHT
Saivite Creed: Twelve Potent
Verses Expounding the
Essence of Saivism
very religion has a creed of one
form or another, an authoritative formula-
tion of its beliefs. Historically, creeds have
developed whenever religions migrate
from their homelands. Until then, the be-
liefs are fully contained in the culture and taught
to children as a natural part of growing up. A
creed is the distillation of volumes of knowledge
into a series of easy-to-remember beliefs. A
creed is meant to summarize the explicit teach-
ings or articles of faith, to imbed and thus pro-
tect and transmit the beliefs. Creeds give
strength to individuals seeking to understand life
and religion. Creeds also allow members of one
faith to express, in elementary and consistent
terms, their traditions to members of another.
Though the vast array of doctrines within Hin-
duism has not always been articulated in sum-
mary form, from ancient times unto today we
have the well-known creedal mahavakya, “great
sayings,” of the Vedic Upanishads. Now, in this
technological age in which village integrity is be-
ing replaced by worldwide mobility, the impor-
tance of a creed becomes apparent if religious
identity is to be preserved. We need two kinds
of strength—that which is found in diversity and
individual freedom to inquire and that which
derives from a union of minds in upholding the
universal and shared principles of our faith.
Saivism is truly ageless, for it has no begin-
ning. It is the precursor of the many-faceted re-
ligion now termed Hinduism. Scholars trace the
roots of Siva worship back more than 8,000
years to the advanced Indus Valley civilization.
But sacred writings tell us there never was a
time when Saivism did not exist. Modern history
records six main schools: Saiva Siddhanta,
Pasupatism, Kashmir Saivism, Vira Saivism,
Siddha Siddhanta and Siva Advaita. Saivism’s
grandeur and beauty are found in a practical
culture, an enlightened view of man’s place in
the universe and a profound system of temple
mysticism and yoga. It provides knowledge of
man’s evolution from God and back to God, of
the soul’s unfoldment and awakening guided by
enlightened sages. Like all the sects, its majority
are families, headed by hundreds of orders of
swamis and sadhus who follow the fiery, world-
renouncing path to moksha. The Vedas state, “By
knowing Siva, who is hidden in all things, ex-
ceedingly fine, like film arising from clarified
butter, the One embracer of the universe—by re-
alizing God, one is released from all fetters.”
The twelve beliefs on the following pages em-
body the centuries-old central convictions of
Saivism, especially as postulated in Saiva Sid-
dhanta, one of the six schools of Saivism. They
cover the basic beliefs about God, soul and
world, evil and love and more. On the last page is
a glossary of words used in the twelve beliefs.
 Belief One
REGARDING GOD’S UNMANIFEST REALITY
Siva’s followers all believe that Lord Siva
is God, whose Absolute Being, Parasiva,
transcends time, form and space. The yogi
silently exclaims, “It is not this. It is not
that.” Yea, such an inscrutable God is God
Siva. Aum.
Belief Two
REGARDING GOD’S MANIFEST NATURE OF ALL-PERVADING LOVE
Siva’s followers all believe that Lord Siva
is God, whose immanent nature of love,
Parashakti, is the substratum, primal
substance or pure consciousness flowing
through all form as energy, existence,
knowledge and bliss. Aum.
Belief Three
REGARDING GOD AS PERSONAL LORD AND CREATOR OF ALL
Siva’s followers all believe that Lord
Siva is God, whose immanent nature is
the Primal Soul, Supreme Mahadeva,
Paramesvara, author of Vedas and
Agamas, the creator, preserver and
destroyer of all that exists. Aum.
44 h i n d u i s m t o d ay j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h, 2 0 0 3
Belief Four
REGARDING THE ELEPHANT-FACED DEITY
Siva’s followers all believe in the
Mahadeva Lord Ganesha, son of Siva-
Shakti, to whom they must first supplicate
before beginning any worship or task. His
rule is compassionate. His law is just.
Justice is His mind. Aum.
Belief Five
REGARDING THE DEITY KARTTIKEYA
Siva’s followers all believe in the Mahadeva
Karttikeya, son of Siva-Shakti, whose vel
of grace dissolves the bondages of igno-
rance. The yogi, locked in lotus, venerates
Murugan. Thus restrained, his mind
becomes calm. Aum.
Belief Six
REGARDING THE SOUL’S CREATION AND IDENTITY WITH GOD
Siva’s followers all believe that each soul
is created by Lord Siva and is identical to
Him, and that this identity will be fully
realized by all souls when the bondage
of anava, karma and maya is removed
by His grace. Aum.
j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 45
 Belief Seven Belief Ten
THE GROSS, SUBTLE AND CAUSAL PLANES OF EXISTENCE REGARDING THE GOODNESS OF ALL

Siva’s followers all believe in three Siva’s followers all believe there is no
worlds: the gross plane, where souls intrinsic evil. Evil has no source, unless
take on physical bodies; the subtle plane, the source of evil’s seeming be ignorance
where souls take on astral bodies; and itself. They are truly compassionate,
the causal plane, where souls exist in knowing that ultimately there is no good
their self-effulgent form. Aum. or bad. All is Siva’s will. Aum.

Belief Eight Belief Eleven

REGARDING KARMA, SAMSARA AND LIBERATION FROM REBIRTH REGARDING THE ESOTERIC PURPOSE OF TEMPLE WORSHIP

Siva’s followers all believe in the law of Siva’s followers all believe that religion is the
karma—that one must reap the effects of all harmonious working together of the three
actions he has caused—and that each soul worlds and that this harmony can be cre-
continues to reincarnate until all ated through temple worship, wherein the
karmas are resolved and moksha, beings of all three worlds can
liberation, is attained. Aum. communicate. Aum.

Belief Nine Belief Twelve

REGARDING THE FOUR MARGAS, STAGES OF INNER PROGRESS REGARDING THE FIVE LETTERS

Siva’s followers all believe that the perfor- Siva’s followers all believe in the
mance of charya, virtuous living, kriya, Panchakshara Mantra, the five sacred
temple worship, and yoga, leading to syllables “Namasivaya,” as Saivism’s fore-
Parasiva through the grace of the living most and essential mantra. The secret of
satguru, is absolutely necessary to bring Namasivaya is to hear it from the right lips
forth jnana, wisdom. Aum. at the right time. Aum.

46 h i n d u i s m t o d ay j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h, 2 0 0 3 j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 47
 attending the temple, performing one’s duty to com-
munity and family, honoring holy men, respecting
elders, atoning for misdeeds and fulfilling the ten
classical restraints called yamas which are: nonin-
jury, truthfulness, nonstealing, divine conduct, pa-
tience, steadfastness, compassion, honesty, moder-
ate appetite and purity. It is the stage of
overcoming basic instinctive patterns such as the
tendencies to become angry and hurtful. Right be-
havior and self-sacrificing service are never out-
grown. The keynote of charya, or karma yoga, is
seva, religious service given without the least
thought of reward, which has the magical effect of
softening the ego and bringing forth the soul’s in-
nate devotion.
Kriya Pada
Saivism demands deep devotion through bhakti
yoga in the kriya pada, the softening of the intellect
and unfolding love. In kriya, the second stage of re-
ligiousness, our sadhana, or regular spiritual disci-
pline, which was mostly external in charya, is now
also internal. Kriya, literally “action or rite,” is a
stirring of the soul in awareness of the Divine,
Vedas study: A father and his two sons chant Vedic mantras together outside their overcoming the instinctive-intellectual mind. We
adobe dwelling during their daily practice sessions. now look upon the Deity image not just as carved
stone, but as the living presence of the God. We
perform ritual and puja not because we have to but because we
The Four Stages want to. We are drawn to the temple to satisfy our longing. We sing
joyfully. We absorb and intuit the wisdom of the Vedas and Agamas.
We perform pilgrimage and fulfill the sacraments. We practice dili-
of Saivism gently the ten classical observances called niyamas which are: re-
morse, contentment, giving, faith, worship of the Lord, scriptural lis-
tening, cognition, sacred vows, recitation and austerity. Our
The path of enlightenment is divided naturally into four stages or relationship with God in kriya is as a son to his parents.
padas: charya, virtue and selfless service; kriya, worshipful sa-
dhanas; yoga, meditation under a guru’s guidance; and jnana, the Yoga Pada
state of enlightened wisdom reached toward the path’s end as a re- Yoga, “union,” is the process of uniting with God within oneself, a
sult of Self Realization through the Guru’s grace. These four padas stage arrived at through perfecting charya and kriya. God is now
are quite similar to the four yogas of Vedanta: karma yoga, bhakti like a friend to us. This system of inner discovery begins with
yoga, raja yoga and jnana yoga. However, there is one key differ- asana—sitting quietly in yogic posture—and pranayama, breath
ence. Whereas in Vedanta you can choose to follow just one of the control. Pratyahara, sense withdrawal, brings awareness into dha-
yogas, in the Saiva Siddhanta school of Saivism we need to pass rana, concentration, then into dhyana, meditation. Over the years,
through all four stages, or padas. under ideal conditions, the kundalini fire of consciousness ascends
Let’s say the path of life is rocks across a shallow stream. Vedanta to the higher chakras, burning the dross of ignorance and past kar-
gives us four separate rock paths to choose from, one for each of the mas. Dhyana finally leads to enstasy—the contemplative experience
four yogas, all of which lead across the river. Saiva Siddhanta gives of Satchidananda, God as energy-bliss, and ultimately to nirvikalpa
us one path for crossing the river which consists of four stones: samadhi, the experience of God as Parasiva, timeless, formless,
charya, kriya, yoga and jnana. spaceless. Truly a living satguru is needed as a steady guide to tra-
The four stages are not alternative ways, but progressive, cum- verse this path. When yoga is practiced by one perfected in kriya,
ulative phases of a one path, much like the natural development of the Gods receive the yogi into their midst through his awakened,
a butterfly from egg to caterpillar, from caterpillar to pupa, and then fiery kundalini, or cosmic energy within every individual.
the final metamorphosis to butterfly. The four stages are what each
human soul must pass through in many births to attain its final goal Jnana Pada
of moksha, freedom from rebirth. In the beginning stages, we suffer Jnana is divine wisdom emanating from an enlightened being, a soul
until we learn. Learning leads us to service; and selfless service is in its maturity, immersed in Sivaness, the blessed realization of God,
the beginning of spiritual striving. Service leads us to understand- while living out earthly karma. Jnana is the fruition of yoga and
ing. Understanding leads us to meditate deeply and without distrac- tapas, or intense spiritual discipline. Through yoga one bursts into
tions. Finally meditation leads us to surrender in God. This is the the superconscious mind, experiencing bliss, all-knowingness and
straight and certain path, the San Marga, leading to Self Realization, perfect silence. It is when the yogi’s intellect is shattered that he
the inmost purpose of life. soars into Parasiva and comes out a jnani, a knower. Each time he
enters that unspeakable nirvikalpa samadhi, he returns to con-
Charya Pada sciousness more and more the knower. He is the liberated one, the ji-
Charya, literally “conduct,” is the first stage of religiousness and the vanmukta, the epitome of kaivalya—perfect freedom—far-seeing,
foundation for the next three stages. It is also called the dasa mar- filled with light, filled with love. One does not become a jnani sim-
ga, meaning “path of servitude,” for here the soul relates to God as ply by reading and understanding philosophy. The state of jnana lies
servant to master. The disciplines of charya include humble service, in the realm of intuition, beyond the intellect.
Glossary Siva. A great Mahadeva worshiped in all parts of India and the
world. Also known as Murugan, Kumara, Skanda, Shanmukhanatha
and Subramanya, He is the God who guides that part of evolution
The following definitions are simple descriptions of which is religion, the transformation of the instinctiveness into Di-
words used in the twelve preceding beliefs. vinity through the practice of yoga.
kriya pada: The stage of worship and devotion, second of four pro-
Absolute Reality: The timeless, formless, spaceless, unchanging and gressive stages to God Realization.
transcendent God Siva—Parasiva. It is the Self God, the essence of marga: “Path; way.” From marg, “to seek.”
man’s soul. maya: The world of form, created by God, of God, through His
Agama: An enormous collection of ancient Sanskrit scriptures. They grace as an arena for the soul’s evolution. One of the soul’s three
are sruti, or, revealed scriptures and have equal authority to the bonds which must be overcome to attain God Realization.
Vedas. The major Hindu sects—Saivism, Vaishnavism and Shak- moksha: “Liberation.” Release from the cycle of births and deaths,
tism—each have their own Agamas. Agamas are the primary after karma has been resolved and God Realization attained.
source for instructions on temple ritual and construction, philoso- Panchakshara Mantra: “Five-lettered chant.” Namasivaya. The fore-
phy and yoga. most mantra for Saivites. It means “Praise to Siva,” and appears in
anava: Individualizing veil of duality that enshrouds the soul. One Yajur Veda.
of the three malas or bonds, along with karma and maya, that bind Paramesvara: Name of Lord Siva as the Supreme Mahadeva, origin
the soul. The effect of anava is to make us think we are separate of the universe. Siva as a person—who has a body, with head, arms
and distinct from God. After many lifetimes, we finally break this and legs—who acts, wills, blesses, gives darsana, guides, creates,
veil of ignorance and realize the Truth—that we are one with God. preserves, reabsorbs, obscures and enlightens.
astral body: The subtle, nonphysical body in which the soul func- Parashakti: “Supreme power; primal energy.” God Siva as the ener-
tions in the astral plane, or inner world also called Antarloka. The gy and consciousness behind all creation.
astral body includes the pranic sheath, the instinctive-intellectual Parasiva: The Supreme, Transcendent Siva, beyond time, form and
sheath and the cognitive sheath. The pran- space. The Self God—beyond the grasp of
ic sheath is discarded at the death of the consciousness. It defies description and can
physical body. only be understood through direct experi-
causal plane: The highest or most subtle
world of existence, Sivaloka.
charya: The first of the four stages we go
ence, God Realization.
Primal Soul: Siva, the uncreated, original,
perfect God. The first soul, source of all
through to realize God. The stage of good other souls. See: Paramesvara.
conduct where one learns to live accord-
ing to dharma and serve selflessly.
Ganesha: “Lord of Categories.” Ganesha is a
Primal Substance: The subtle energy and
form from which the manifest world in its
infinite diversity is derived. See: Parashakti.
Mahadeva, the beloved elephant-faced De- Pure Consciousness: See: Parashakti.
ity honored by Hindus of every sect. He is samsara: “Flow.” The world, existence,
the Lord of Obstacles, revered for His great fraught with change. The cycle of birth,
wisdom and invoked first before any un- death and rebirth; the total pattern of suc-
dertaking, for He knows all intricacies of cessive earthly lives experienced by a soul.
each soul’s karma and the perfect path of self-effulgent: Producing its own light; radi-
dharma that makes action successful. ating light.
grace: A gift from God given out of His love. soul: The innermost part of us, created by
Lord Siva’s revealing grace is how souls Lord Siva. Called atman in Sanskrit. The
awaken to their true, Divine nature. soul never dies, but takes on one physical
gross plane: The physical world. See: three body after another until we know God. The
worlds essence or nucleus of the soul is eternally
immanent: Indwelling; inherent and operat- identical and at one with God Siva.
ing within. Relating to God, immanent substratum: “Layer underneath.” In philos-
means present in all things and through- Temple worship: With Siva watching, devo- ophy, that which is “underneath,” not visi-
out the universe, not aloof or distant. tees approach a temple traditionally with of- ble, the substance or underlying force which
inscrutable: That which cannot be ana- ferings of flowers, fruits and water is the foundation of any and all creation.
lyzed or understood. Mysterious; beyond subtle plane: The unseen world of existence
examining or defining. between our physical world and the world of the Gods, Antarloka.
intrinsic evil: Inherent, inborn badness or negativity. Hinduism Souls between birth live here as devas. We can also enter this
holds that there is no intrinsic evil, and the real nature of man is his world while we sleep.
divine, soul nature, which is goodness. supplicate: To ask for humbly. To pray for earnestly.
jnana: The fourth of the four stages of religious development accord- three worlds: The three worlds of existence, the primary divisions
ing to Saiva Siddhanta (and many other schools of Hindu philoso- of the cosmos. 1) Bhuloka: “Earth world,” the physical plane. 2)
phy). The mature state of the soul after God Realization. Antarloka: “Inner or in-between world,” the subtle or astral plane
karma: “Action,” “deed.” One of the most important principles in where souls go during sleep and after death. 3) Sivaloka: “World of
Hindu thought, karma refers to 1) any act or deed; 2) the principle Siva,” and of the Gods and highly evolved souls; the causal plane.
of cause and effect; 3) a consequence, which sooner or later returns yoga: “Union.” The many practices, such as meditation, breathing,
upon the doer. What we sow, we shall reap in this or future lives. japa, postures of the body, that are used by yogis to reach divine
Selfish, hateful acts will bring suffering. Good actions will bring consciousness. Prominent among the many forms of yoga are hatha
loving reactions. Karma is a neutral, self-perpetuating law of the yoga (emphasizing bodily perfection in preparation for medita-
inner cosmos, much as gravity is an law of the outer cosmos. tion), kriya yoga (emphasizing breath control), as well as karma
Karttikeya: Child of the Pleiades, from Krittika, “Pleiades.” A son of yoga (selfless service) and bhakti yoga (devotional practices).

48 h i n d u i s m t o d ay j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h, 2 0 0 3 j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 49

New Jersey address: After receiving the Hindu of the Year award, Dada addressed hundreds of devotees gathered to meet him
H I N D U R E N A I S S A N C E AW A R D
Dada J. P. Vaswani
Beloved Sindhi religious leader, 84, is honored as Hindu of the Year
B Y L AVINA M ELWANI
N EW Y ORK
f anyone has a blueprint
for a better world, it is Dada
J.P. Vaswani, the gentle and
unassuming spiritual head of
the Pune-based Sadhu Vaswani
Mission. Hinduism Today is proud
to honor him with the Hindu Re-
naissance Award as Hindu of the
Year, 2002. His life is a synonym for
peace, grace and compassion, and
it is these qualities that he passes
through word and action to thou-
sands of people in countries as far
apart as India, the US, England,
Hong Kong and Australia.
Starting in 1990, Hinduism To-
day has honored one eminent Hin-
50 h i n d u i s m t o d ay
sets and changing the world. Born in 1918 in
Hyderabad, he was drawn to the teachings
of his uncle and mentor, the great spiritual
leader Sadhu Vaswani. As a child, he re-
members his uncle’s allowing him to win in a
round of Scrabble, a game that in those days
was called Word Making and Word Taking.
When he asked his uncle why he did that,
the master replied, “I always give—I never
take.” Recalls Dada, “And that I remem-
bered all my life. I thought I would be join-
ing a great giver, and to do that I had to give
up everything, and I was ready to do so.”
A brilliant student, Dada received three
double promotions in school and matriculat-
ed at the age of 13. In college he excelled in
English and science, and his family hoped
he would sit for the ICS exam. In spite of
having received B.Sc and M.Sc degrees and
h i n d u i s m t o d ay
having passed the LLB examination, he de-
cided instead to follow in the spiritual foot-
steps of Sadhu Vaswani.
c o u r t e s y s a d h u va s wa n i m i s s i o n
As a child, he saw that Sadhu Vaswani not
only gave his shirt to a beggar but even his
cap when the man pointed to it. Says Dada, Dada’s honored: (clockwise from above)
“His words are engraved on the tablet of my Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami greets
heart. He said, ‘This cap and this shirt and Dada during his 2001 visit to Kauai Aad-
everything that I have is a loan given to me heenam; Dada offers the Hindu of the Year
to be passed on to those whose need is plaque to his guru’s picture; Hinduism To-
greater than mine.’ ” day correspondent Lavina Melwani, second
“That was his teaching,” Dada explained, from left, and Dr. Jayaraman of Bharatiya
“Everything we have is a trust, a loan to be Vidya Bhavan, present the award to Dada
passed on to others: our time, our talent, our
experience, our knowledge, our wisdom, our
position and prestige in society, our bank ac-
counts, our properties, our possessions; our
life itself is a loan given to us to be passed on
to those whose need is greater than ours.
And that left such a stamp on me.”
c o u r t e s y s a d h u va s wa n i m i s s i o n
c o u r t e s y s a d h u va s wa n i m i s s i o n
Sadhu Vaswani’s ideals have been translat-
ed into reality by Dada through the many
humanitarian activities of the Sadhu Vas-
wani Mission (www.sadhuvaswani.org). The
Saint Mira schools, named for Mirabai, the
famed 15th century Hindu woman saint,
include excellent schools and a college in
Pune. They are character-building institu-
du each year who has most impacted tions which give children a first-rate educa-
the faith and spread its values, com- tion and also Indian ideals and a strong val-
Where the World’s One Billion Hindus Live passion and profundity across the ue system.
Hindus are one-sixth of the human family. While India is home to 93% of the world’s
one billion Hindus, nearly 70 million are scattered widely across the globe.
Yugoslavia: 8,000
globe. Past renaissance winners are: The many institutions of the Sadhu Vas-
Netherlands
180,000
England: 1,300,000
Denmark: 15,000
Norway: 11,000
Russia: 15,000
Swami Paramananda Bharati (’90), wani Medical Complex include state-of-the- philosopher, Dada has spoken at eminent joy of a child and takes each day as a gift
Germany: 100,000
Swami Chidananda Saraswati, “Muni- art hospitals, dispensaries and clinics pro- venues including the House of Commons in from God.
Canada Switzerland: 60,000
France: 150,000
470,000 Belgium: 6,000
Austria: 6,100
Spain: 12,500 Nepal: 23,500,000
United States Japan: 6,000
2,000,000 Portugal: 8,000
Italy: 25,000
Kauai Aadheenam: 30 Martinique and
Bahrain: 24,000
Egypt: 6,000
Guadaloupe Gulf States: 310,000
Jamaica
50,000 Ethiopia: 3,000
Pakistan
Bhutan: 300,000
Bangladesh: 12,100,000
Myanmar: 294,000
Hong Kong: 90,000
ji” of Parmath Niketan (’91), Swami viding services to the needy. Dada believes London, the Global Forum of Spiritual Dada Vaswani spoke with Hinduism To-
Hawaii: 700
Chinmayananda (’92), Mata Amrita- that, “Service of the poor is the worship of Leaders in Oxford, the World Parliament of day in New York. Here are excerpts:
Trinidad: 320,000 1,200,000 India
25,000 Vietnam: 5,500
Guyana: 450,000 900,000,000
Thailand: 7,000
Surinam: 200,000 Afghanistan Sri Lanka Philippines:1,100
French Guiana: 5,000 130,000 2,200,000 Indonesia: 5,900,000
Nigeria: 30,000 S. Yemen: 7,000 Malaysia
On the origins of Sadhu Vaswani Mission:
1,290,000
nandamayi Ma (’93), Swami Satchida- God.” The Mission is vital to the life of Pune, Religions in Chicago and the Millennium
Somalia: 6,000
Uganda: 20,000 Kenya: 75,000 Singapore
Zambia: 25,000 Tanzania: 70,000 171,000 Fiji: 600,000
Malavi: 3,000 Mauritius: 700,000
Reunion: 290,000
Botswana: 7,000
Argentina
Zimbabwe: 6,000
Madagascar: 1,100
South Africa: 1,430,000
Australia
75,000
nanda (’94), Pramukhswami Maharaj and its wonderful effects have spread into World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiri- It came to be known by that name only after
4,000
New Zealand
38,769
(’95), Sri Satya Sai Baba (’96), Sri many Indian cities and states, as well as into tual Leaders at the UN in New York. Sadhu Vaswani dropped his physical body.
Algeria 500 Czech Republic Columbia 50 Guinea 50 Ivory Coast 1,000 Libya 500 Qatar 500 Syria 100
Chinmoy (’97), Swami Bua (’98), Swa- the wider world outside. Dada has been the recipient of many Before that it was known as the Brother-
Barbados
Brazil
Brunei
Cameroon
100
50
500
50
and Slovakia 100
Chad
Chile
China
20
20
250
Cuba
Ecuador
Finland
Gabon
100
500
100
100
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Israel
50
6
20
100
Zambia
Jordan
Lebanon
Liberia
500
1,000
100
500
Mexico
Morocco
20
50
Mozambique 500
Panama 500
Senegal
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
South Korea
100
500
500
50
Tunisia
Turkey
100
100
Upper Volta 100
Yemen, North 100
mi Chidananda Saraswati of Divine Dada has been a tireless traveler, reaching awards, including the U Thant Peace Award, hood Association and before that, while we
C. African Rep.20 Congo 100 Ghana 500 Italy 200 Laos 500 Poland 100 Sudan 1000 Zaire 500
Life Society (’99), Ma Yoga Shakti out to people across the world. Sadhu Vas- and has written over 75 books that have were in Sind, it was known as the Sakhi Sat-
HINDU RENAISSANCE AWARD FOR 2002
Presented by HINDUISM TODAY to Hindu of the Year, 2002, Dada Jashan (’00) and priest Sri T. S. Sambamurthy wani centers have sprung up in many coun- been translated into several languages. His sang Association. It started as a women’s or-
P. Vaswani, spiritual head of the Sadhu Vasvani Mission in Pune, In-
dia, for a lifetime of exemplary preaching of Hindu dharma through his
Sivachariar (’01). tries with a devoted following. His visits en- many parables, his wisdom, his humor and ganization. Sadhu Vaswani believed it was
inspired and eloquent oratory, soul-stirring publications and a loving, Dada Vaswami’s life is a life well compass talks, satsangs and sadhana camps, his approachability make his message acces- the woman’s soul that would lead us on. He
saintly presence which envelops friend and total stranger alike, effort-
lessly transcending divisions of race, creed, politics and nationalities. lived, proof that even one person can which are an exercise in spiritual fitness. sible to both the scholar and the man on the used to say man has had his chance—man
make a difference in changing mind- An internationally acclaimed thinker and street. At 84, he maintains the optimism and has bungled, man has blundered, man has
j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3 j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 51
built up a civilization of violence and war, of
hatred and strife—the new civilization will
be built by women. He told women, “The
shaktis (powers) that are hidden within
you—you must unfold them and spend them
in the service of suffering humanity.” He
started women’s stores, a school and college,
but gradually the men folk joined in, too.
On the Mission activities: They are based
on the teachings of Sadhu Vaswani—service
of the poor is the richest service that you
can offer to God—so the aim of many of the
institutions we have in Pune is to serve the
people. We must take care of the children.
The children of today are the builders of to-
morrow. So we must give them the right
training. We must have mothers of the true
type and schools and colleges of the true
type. So a humble attempt has been made in
that direction. The emphasis continues to be
on girls’ education. Sadhu Vaswani also be-
lieved that the noblest work is to cultivate
the soul. Therefore, the basis of all our work
is the satsang (gathering for religious in-
struction and singing). There are three sat-
sangs a day at the Pune center, including one
in the evening where hundreds attend. The
last half an hour is a meditation at the sa-
cred samadhi of Sadhu Vaswani.
On what gives him satisfaction: That I’m
doing my little bit to spread the message of
the master. They want something from me
because they think I am an agent of the
master. I’m a servant, one of the many ser-
vants of the master.
On stress: I think there would be no stress
if we lived in harmony, in accordance with
the will of God. It is because we have for-
gotten that and are self willed that there is
stress. If only we can merge our will with
the will of God, if only we can understand
that what God wills for us is better than
what we will for ourselves, that in every-
thing the Lord wills for us is the meaning of
his mercy, because God is all love, God is all
wisdom. He is too loving to punish. He’s too
wise to make a mistake. In our prayers we
address Him as our parent, but in our daily
52 h i n d u i s m t o d ay j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3
lives we do not bear witness to this great
truth that we are the children of the Divine.
If only we behaved as children! A child has
no fear, has no worry, no anxiety because he
knows his mother is near to take care of
him. If only we lived like children, there
would be no stress, no tension and no fear.
On the Gujarat riots: I would not justify
what happened. Muslim or Hindu, we are all
human beings. We should try to come to-
gether and try to understand each other.
Why did the Muslims do that? [Dada refers
to the attack on the train in Godhra, killing
58 people, mostly women and children, the
incident that sparked the March 2002 riots.]
Has anyone gone into the problem and
found out? That’s the way to solve the prob-
lem. Problems will keep multiplying. But
this is all politics and it’s all vote catching. If
that is the purpose, then there will be no so-
lution. We were in Sind—Hindus and Mus-
lims lived like brothers. So much so that if
the father of a Hindu family had to travel,
he would request his Muslim neighbors to
take care of his family, and they would take
greater care of them than of their own fam-
ily. There were Hindus, prominent Hindus,
wealthy Hindus who were disciples of Mus-
lim murshids—Sufi murshids (teachers) who
made no difference between Hindus and
Muslims. To them, both were the same.
On the Sufi touch in his teachings: It is be-
cause we are from Sind and Sind was a place
of Sufis. Mystics who believed that there is
only one God. Yes, but that has been lost
sight of, because of the impact of politics.
On the Ram Temple in Ayodhya: I think
they did well when they had agreed to let
the Supreme Court decide, and that they
would abide by that decision. It is true that
the Mughals came and razed the Hindu tem-
ples, hundreds—perhaps thousands—of them
and built mosques in their place. But that
was because the Hindus became weak.
They could not protect their own proper-
ties, their own country. The Mughals came
and sat like masters over them. But once the
mosque was permitted to be built, you can’t
break and raze it to the ground. The mosque
is as much a place of worship as a temple.
We should have reverence for both. When-
ever I pass a mosque, I bow down to it.
Whenever I pass by a church, I bow down
to it—because they are the places of worship
of that one God whom I seek. It is true that
the Hindus need to become a vital people—
that is the positive aspect of this. The sin of
Hinduism is weakness, and if they continue
to be weak, then they will be overrun, be-
cause that is the law of life. So the Hindus
need to become vital—but not vital in the
sense that they go and kill innocent people,
people who did nothing to them.
His typical day: My day begins with
spending time in silence. That is the time I
get to myself. Around half past nine I open
my doors. I must have a walk every day. My
food is very simple, mostly fruit and biscuits
and a cup of tea. I used to take raw salads at
noon. Steamed vegetables, yogurt, one small
chapatti. They give me two vegetables—but
I’m happy with one. And a cup of dal. I now
take soy milk instead of cow’s milk because
the cows are very cruelly treated in factory
farming. Ever since I learned about it nine
or ten years ago, I gave up milk. I believe it’s
the food of violence. The cows are confined
to a small area. They can’t move and are just
milk manufacturing machines.
On vegetarianism: You don’t need to be a
vegetarian to be a good human being, be-
cause I have seen many who are nonvege-
tarians and are very good people. But I re-
gard the vegetarian diet as a sattvic (pure)
diet, and it’s always better to take sattvic
rather than tamasic (literally, “of darkness”)
or rajasic (passionate). We observe Novem-
ber 25 worldwide as Meatless Day because
of the cruelty involved. Hundreds of thou-
sands of animals are being slaughtered every
day; but they love life as much as you and I
do, as much as those people do who eat
them up. I believe it is injustice because cre-
ation is one family. The breath that animals
take is the same breath that we take. They
are our kindred, our kin. It is the duty of
man to protect his younger brothers and sis-
ters in the one family of creation, from the
cruel knife of the butcher. And I believe an-
imals should be given their rights. Today
wherever I go they talk of animal welfare.
Animal welfare is not the answer—animal
rights are needed. Men have their rights—do
animals have no rights? Men have their
rights. Do they not have duties toward ani-
mals who have befriended them since the
dawn of creation? The dog, the horse and
the cow—how much they have taken care
of man, how much they have served man.
Every animal has certain fundamental rights
and the very first right of every animal is
the right to live; for you cannot take that
away what you cannot give. And since you
cannot give life to a dead creature, you have
no right to take away the life of a living one.
The 18th century gave rights to man, the
19th century gave rights to slaves, and the
20th century has given rights to women.
The 21st century, I verily believe, will give
rights to animals, and that will be a glorious
day in the history of humanity. I believe
there will be no peace on Earth unless we
stop all killing.
On educating children: I think it is the
duty of parents to educate their children
and tell them of the rich heritage that be-
longs to them as the children of India. But
both parents are often busy making money,
with the result that the children are neglect-
ed. There are thinkers and philosophers the
world over who say our hope is in India, In-
dia’s culture, India’s message. It is a sinking
world civilization in which we live—the
hope of this sinking civilization is India. If
only our children were told of their rich her-
itage, I don’t think they will succumb to peer
pressure. Now they have no roots, no foun-
dation to stand on—therefore they easily
succumb to peer pressure.
On corporal punishment of children: It is a
great crime. Never hit a child. You should
love him so much that if he does something
that he should not have done, you simply
turn away from him, and that is the punish-
ment that will set him right. If we hit chil-
dren, they become more obstinate and it cre-
ates a psychological complex within them.
On making children proud of Hinduism:
Every Hindu parent should train their child
to be a good ambassador of India’s culture.
Every child is an ambassador in the making
if only he will bear witness in deeds of dai-
ly living to the teaching of the Bhagavad
Gita, the Upanishads and the Ramayana.
He can be a model. We are a minority here
in America. We are a very, very small mi-
nority—but that is our opportunity. We can
be an example to the rest of the world.
On Sindhi culture: I’m afraid during the
years that have gone by since Partition Sin-
dhi culture is on the wane. [The Sind home-
land became part of Pakistan at Partition,
and nearly all Sindhi Hindus fled to India
and elsewhere around the world.] But I can
find, wherever I go, a new movement for
the uplift of this culture. I believe Sindhi
culture has so much to contribute to the life
and thought of humanity, and I have no
doubt that it will come up again.
On conversion: Ram and Rahim [a Muslim
term for God] are one, but we have to be
true to Rama because we have been born in
a Hindu family. We have to be true to our
dharma. Each one has his own dharma. I
don’t believe in converting other people
from other religions to Hinduism. You teach
those Christians to be better Christians; you
teach those Muslims to be better Muslims
because they are born in that faith—God’s
will has sent them into that particular faith.
Their evolution will be worked out only
when they are true to their own faith. Like-
wise, we must see that we as Hindus become
better Hindus. I should be a better Hindu to-
day than I was yesterday. I should be a bet-
ter Hindu tomorrow than I am today.
On reincarnation: For an Indian it’s in his
blood to believe in reincarnation and in life
after death. But you say, “What is the scien-
tific proof?” Each country has specialized in
something or other—India specialized in
spirituality. It carried out experiments in
j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3
Photos (left to right): On March 28,
2001, Dada Vaswani visited Kauai
Aadheenam, home of Hinduism Today,
on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. He
first worshiped at the Nepalese Ganesha
at the ashram’s entrance; then (photo 2)
met with Satguru Sivaya Subramu-
niyaswami, presenting him a shawl.
Then he toured the HINDUISM TODAY
offices with the magazine’s staff.Dada
addressed the assembled monks; and
(right) was blessed by Gurudeva.
atma vidya—the science of the spirit. But
also modern research has been carried out.
A group of twelve scientists went around the
world looking at cases of reincarnation. They
have given in detail their findings, which
point to reincarnation and to life after death.
Life doesn’t end. This is only one chapter in
a huge volume of life, only one small chapter.
We learn many lessons. We come to this
Earth plane. We wear the human body to be
tested whether we have actually learned
those lessons or not. Because matter on this
plane is gross, when we come into contact
with physical matter that is when the test
begins. In the astral world, the material is
very plastic. It yields to thought. I think of
something and it happens. Not so here.
On meaning in life: The word of God and
more than that, harmony with the will of
God, gives meaning to my day. I rejoice in
whatever happens. It comes as a prasadam
(a blessed offering) out of the spotless
hands of the Lord. By approaching life with
this attitude, there is no conflict. You are
always at peace. You are at peace with your-
self. You are at peace with those around
you. You’re at peace with God’s cosmic
laws. I believe there’s no treasure richer
than peace of mind. Accept everything that
happens. Sadhu Vaswani said God is the
Great Cosmic Spirit and humanity is His
bride. He loves each one of us. Why can’t
we trust him? ∏π
h i n d u i s m t o d ay 53
TEMPLES

Vel Muruga!

p h o t o s : b a b y p h o t o s o f j a f f na
Returning to the sanctum: Dressed in green for His return
from circumambulating the great Nallur Temple in His ornate
chariot, Lord Murugan is carried on this magnificent silver
palanquin back into the sanctum. (inset) This bell was recov-
Hundreds of thousands of Sri Lankan ered recently during the destruction of the “Dutch Fort,”
which was built with the stones and upon the site of the origi-
nal Nallur Temple, destroyed in the 18th century by the Por-
Tamil Hindus–and some Singhalese tuguese, the first Christian conquerors of Sri Lanka. The
bell’s recovery and restoration to the temple was a significant
Buddhists–turned out for Nallur emotional rite for Jaffna’s Hindus.
Kandaswamy Temple’s biggest-ever
annual festival as peace talks
commenced in Thailand
 ❶ ❷ ❸

k p d , j a f f na
❹
Festival scenes—August 13 to September 7, 2002: (clockwise from above) ❶ Lord Murugan
departs in His grand chariot to circumambulate the temple’s sanctum. The six-faced Aru-
mugaswami parade icon is brought out from the temple just once a year. The rest of the time
He occupies a place to the side of the central sanctum. On special occasions He is worshiped
by six priests with six camphor lamps, one for each face. ❷ As penance, thousands of young
men rolled around the temple in the hot sun. Here they pass the chariot. Some also had their
cheeks and tongues pierced with small silver spears. They extended nearly a mile behind the
chariot. At left in this photo, one sees some of the school children who provided crowd con-
trol in their white and blue uniforms. No armed soldiers were present on the temple
grounds, unlike at previous festivals. ❸ The “Saparam” is a special chariot used before the
main chariot. ❹ A feature of this year’s festival was dozens of young boys, such as this
youth, carrying the traditional kavadi offering to the temple. ➎ Aadheenakartar, head
monk, of the Nallai Aadheenam, a monastery adjacent to Nallur. The highly respected Swa-
mi Sri La Sri Somasundara Paramacharya is the principle representative of Hinduism in Sri
Lanka today. Fifteen years ago he was wounded when government troops attacked this area.
He helped welcome the many swamis who came from India for this festival, including from
the Ramakrishna Mission headquarters in Kolkata. ❻ The chief priest of Nallur Temple.
Nallur has for many generations been privately managed by a family of the Mudaliar clan.
For more information about this festival, visit the Nallur Temple website at www.nallur.org.

❻ ➎
p h o t o s : b a b y p h o t o s o f j a f f na

56 h i n d u i s m t o d ay j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3 j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 57
all photos: sethu
TEMPLES
New Life
A rare ceremony of renewal restores South
India’s famed Arunachaleswarar temple
remember it vividly. it was 9:47 in
the morning on June 27, 2002. That mo-
ment was perfectly still—like a calm be-
fore a storm. What followed was a devo-
tional frenzy that all good Tamil Nadu
temple-goers know only too well.
Three hundred thousand devotees were
packed around a 217-foot rajagopuram (one
of four main outer temple towers) at the
Arunachaleswarar temple in Tiruvannamalai,
South India. They had been there all morn-
ing—some since the night before. Suddenly, as
if in response to some orchestrated cue,
everyone roared, “Annamalaikku Haro Hara,”
“Glory to the Lord of Annamalai.” Six eagles
circled over the temple’s sanctum sanctorum
and abhishekams (water ceremonies) were si-
58 h i n d u i s m t o d ay j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3
multaneously performed in nine towers and
nine shrines throughout the temple complex.
The 1,300-year-old temple was experiencing
its fifth known Maha Kumbhabhishekam. It
was history in the making. The last such cer-
emony occurred in 1976. The two before that
were in 1944 and 1903.
A Maha Kumbhabhishekam is held either
to formally consecrate a new temple or re-
consecrate an old one, which usually occurs
at twelve-year intervals, following renovation,
extensive cleaning and renewal. The rites
culminate with the priests’ pouring sancti-
fied water over the temple spires, each of
which resembles an inverted pot, or kumbha.
Leading up to the consecration, a number of
rituals are performed by the sthapati (main
It was the year 2002: (above) The Arun-
achaleswarar Siva Temple of Tiruvanna-
malai, as seen from atop Arunachala Hill, is
the second largest temple in India; (right)
Arunachaleswarar’s 2002 reconsecration
ceremony was attended by 300,000 people
temple architect) in charge of the construc-
tion or renovation.
The temple at Arunachaleswarar is the
second largest in India. Throughout its long
history, it has enjoyed extraordinary popu-
larity among wealthy patrons. This remains
true today. Just before the Maha Kumbh-
abhishekam of 2002, more than a million
dollars was spent on temple renovation and
repair. Although a great deal of this money
came from affluent donors, much was also
solicited through pamphlets, posters and
“door stickers”—as well as on television.
All nine gopurams were repaired, renovat-
ed and repainted. The 1000-pillared manda-
pam (main temple hall) was completely
cleaned and even outfitted with electricity.
The temple’s entire collection of ceremonial
utensils were scrubbed and polished. And
much of the old ornamentation was refur-
bished with new, intricately designed carv-
ings and designs—all gold-plated.
During the ceremony itself, more than
five thousand policemen were on hand to
keep order. The water and fire rituals com-
menced in coordination with the conclusion
of a nine-day annual festival featuring wor-
j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 59
 ship of the Hindu Goddesses Durga, Am-
man and Pitari. The inaugural puja was held
in the newly constructed yagasala (a place
of fire worship) on the evening of June 22.
During the next six days, grand homas
(fire ceremonies) were conducted at 102
agni kundams (fire pits) built in the ya-
gasala just for this purpose. Each of these
homas was dedicated to a God or Goddess.
Thirty-three were for Annamalai (a form of
Lord Siva), 25 for Amman (a form of God-
dess Shakti), and five each for Gods Vinaya-
gar, Murugan, Somaskander and Venugopal.
The remaining 24 were committed to the
parivara devathas (canonized saints devot-
ed to Lord Siva).
Three hundred Sivacharyas, 15 oduvars
(traditional temple singers) and 120 Vedic
scholars from all over India orchestrated
the homas while 108 tavil players (temple
drummers) and nadaswaram masters (tem-
ple horn players) provided appropriate fes-
tival music. The grand procession around
the temple was led by Tyagaraja Gurukkal
(69) and Alasyanatha Gurukkal (54), both
long-time chief priests at Arunachaleswara
Temple.
Doordarshan, Jaya TV and a local televi-
sion channel beamed the Kumbhabhishe-
kam live as it occurred. All India Radio also
broadcast a running commentary. Dina
Malar, a renowned Tamil daily, hired seven
photographers to cover the event. All in all it
was a grand event in Tamil Nadu, a gracious
gift of upliftment to its motherland of India,
otherwise deeply troubled by the darker
events of 2002.
For hundreds of years, the town of Tiru-
vannamalai and the temple Arunachales-
wara have stood foremost among South In-
dia’s most sought-after spiritual destinations.
Successive South Indian kings always gave
great importance to them both. They dug
ponds and wells—built gopurams, com-
pound walls and prakarams (temple court-
yards) and donated jewels and gold. Famous
Indian kings down through history—like
Rajaraja Chola, Rajendra Chola, Harihara
Bukkar, Krishna Deva Rayar, as well as the
kings of the Chera, Pallava, Pandya, Rash-
trakotta, Hoysala and Naik dynasties—were
proud to have Tiruvannamalai as part of
their kingdom. Some of them even made it
their capital. Even when caught in political
crisis, they held onto Tiruvannamalai.
Historical details about the Arunacha-
leswarar Temple are revealed in stone in-
scriptions on the prakara walls and copper
plates of the temple itself. These inscrip-
tions, which refer to a period of time span-
ning a thousand years starting from 750 ce,
indicate that the greatness of Arunacha-
leswarar was made known to the kings of
the times primarily through important
South Indian devotional literature like the
Thevaram and Thiruvasagam.
Aruna literally means “force” and achala
means “that which cannot be moved.” So,
Arunachaleswarar Temple represents Lord
Siva as indomitable power. The Arunacha-
leswarar Siva Temple is located 125 miles
from Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu. Its
day-to-day administration is currently con-
trolled by the Hindu Religious and Charita-
ble Endowments department of the Tamil
Nadu Government.
Tiruvannamalai and its famous temple are
attracting an increasing number of pilgrims
every year. On a single festival day, it may
accommodate as many as a million devotees.
And that was before the million-dollar reno-
vation and Maha Kumbhabhishekam of
2002. Certainly, the best is yet to come.∏π Repaired, cleaned, polished and ready for blessings: Six days before the Maha Kumbh-
By Kesav Mallia, Chennai ahbishekam, the refurbished spires that crown the temple towers are made ready to rise

The Legend of Endless Fire
A mythical story of three Gods
The Pillar of Fire: This illustra-
tion shows Lord Siva appearing
before Brahma and Vishnu as
an flaming column of light
h i n d u i s m t o d ay
error of their ways. Brahma and the flower over this lying inci- legend, Lord Siva granted this prayer.
he long-lived fame of the great
Arunachaleswara Hill is inextricably con- Lord Brahma, He proclaimed, would not dent, was scorching all three worlds with the Today, the 2,668-foot-tall Arunachala Hill
nected to an ancient Hindu legend recorded be deified in temples, and the screw pine roaring flames of His righteous indignation— is regarded as Tejo Lingam, Lord Siva as a
in an important Hindu literary work entitled would never be used in worship. This has in- so much so that the celestials were impelled pillar of fire. Some even say that traditional
Skanda Puranam. According to this story, two deed come to pass. There are no Brahma to ask Him to stop. Siva obliged by cooling worship of the Sivalingam as it is currently
Hindu Gods—Lord Brahma, the creator, and temples (save one), and nobody ever wor- down and manifesting as Arunachaleswara practiced commenced on Arunachala. The
Lord Vishnu, the preserver—each claimed supe- ships with screw pine flowers. It goes with- Hill. Both Brahma and Vishnu prayed to Siva eight-mile circuit around the base of the hill
riority over the other. Somewhat embarrassed out saying that Vishnu was judged superior that He take the form of a Linga on the east is itself a pilgrimage destination. Along its
that distinguished Gods of the celestial realm to Brahma. So the story goes. side of the hill and, in remembrance of the way are more than 360 tirthams (holy tanks)
should be engaged in such a puerile altercation, Now, there is an epilogue to this which ap- blazing fire, appear as a light further up to- and 400 Lingams. Ramana Maharishi’s ash-
Lord Siva, the Lord of the Universe, appeared be- plies specifically to Arunachaleswara Hill. ward the top each year on the Hindu holy ram is situated here on this circuit, making
fore them as a pillar of fire, known as Sthanu or Apparently, Siva, who was really upset with day of Karttikeya Dipam. According to the it all the more famous. ∏π
Lingodbhavamurti in Sanskrit. In an effort to
somehow arbitrate or at least ameliorate their dis-
cord, He boomed forth in a deep voice, “Whoso- The magic mountain: Arunachaleswara Hill is said to
ever should find either the beginning or the end be catacombed with tunnels and caves where
of this light of mine shall be considered, now and ageless rishis sit to this day
forever more, the superior of you two.” in deep meditation
Upon hearing this, Vishnu took the form of a
boar and dug into the depths of the Earth, seek-
ing the beginning of the light. Alas, he returned
disappointed. Brahma became a swan and flew
up and up, seeking the light’s top. He too was
about to give up in despair when, by chance, he
happened upon a falling flower who embarked
upon a conversation with him.
The flower—which by name was a pandanus
odoratissimus, more commonly known as a screw
pine—asked the God what in the world he was
doing flying so high. Brahma replied that he was
just seeking the end of the light but had been thus
far unsuccessful in finding it. Upon hearing this,
the screw pine—not knowing the light had no be-
ginning or end—delightedly struck upon a mis-
chievous plan: They would tell Siva they found
the end of the light and be each other’s witness to
the fact. Brahma liked the idea and so they re-

turned and reported their story.

Siva, of course, was upset. He had no patience
with liars. Hence, He decided and so decreed
that Brahma and the flower should be provided a
lesson in humility, by which they might learn the

60 h i n d u i s m t o d ay j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3 j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 61
MARRIAGE carefully. Ravi explained that I would be ing in my future brother’s and sister’s-in-law ways in good supply in our household, and
marrying his culture along with him. I did bedroom, with Ravi’s mom grinning and we watch them on average twice a week.
not understand what this meant at first, be- reaching high to wrap a sari around her very When we visit relatives or friends, the latest

Our Cultural Fusion cause I received very little exposure to his tall first Western daughter-in-law, her grins music and movies are being bought, dis-
culture while we were dating. I was bewil- making me self-conscious and shy, trying to cussed, played and watched; the older songs
dered. Ravi pleaded that he could not live understand what amused her. I wondered, and movies are never forgotten; and ghazals
without listening to Indian music, watching “Am I too big and tall for Indian standards, are played when the mood is right.
Indian movies, speaking to his friends in his or is she just too happy to see her son getting The turning point for me was visiting In-
native Hindi, celebrating Hindu festivities married?” Ravi’s mother performed a tradi- dia. It was a major shock and revelation at
How I, a Russian-Jewish woman, moved to America, met and married and eating the foods he grew up eating. That tional Hindu ceremony of engagement that the same time. The sights, sounds and smells
is why I had to consider carefully whether I felt very special and auspicious. The next of Delhi stunned me. I looked at everything
an Indian-American and integrated three worlds into my experience could live with him doing all those things. day we concluded the ceremony at a Hindu with my eyes wide open in shock and disbe-
I, on the other hand, foresaw our future temple in the city. lief. When a person from a developed coun-
union to be a sort of a cultural try, like the United States, comes
B Y J ANE S RIVASTAVA , G EORGIA
was born in the former soviet
middle ground with no one’s cul-
ture prevailing in the household.
“We discover every day that, to India, he or she experiences
very different feelings than the
Union, Republic of Lithuania, in a Jew-
ish family and immigrated to the US
After all, we were both immi-
grants from two different coun-
notwithstanding our racial and ones I experienced. Most Ameri-
cans grew up in comfort and over-
when I was twenty-one. Six years ago I
met and fell in love with a Hindu man
tries who now lived in America. I
certainly did not imagine that
geographical differences, our souls, all satiety. India will shock them,
of course, and they will probably
from India and now am married to him.
My family, like the majority of Soviet
our household would be “Little
India” on American soil.
ways of life, opinions and back- feel guilty that so many people
around the world still go hungry.
Jews, had to give up their religion and tradi-
tion, because practicing religion was against
Before my fiancé expressed to
me his need for retaining his tra-
grounds are incredibly similar.” But I experienced poverty myself,
certainly not to such an extent as
the ideology of the Soviet regime. No longer dition, I had mistakenly believed in India, but my family often had
were the Jewish ways of life transferred to that anyone who immigrates to no money to buy food or clothes.
successive generations. The language and America wants to leave their Coming to India was almost going
culture of the Russian majority prevailed in country behind and accept their back in time; after all, I had come
Jewish households. We spoke Russian, read new country’s culture as their to America in search of a better,
Russian literature, listened to Russian music own. It was particularly true for more prosperous life.
and even considered ourselves possessing my family, because we came to I quickly realized, though, that
the well-known “Russian soul.” With no re- the US as political refugees, vic- people of Indian origin keep com-
ligious and ethnic tradition to take away, be- tims of ethnic and religious per- ing back to India not because they
sides the borrowed Russian, and, having left secution. When America accept- enjoy the dirt, poverty and smells
the anti-Semitic Soviet Union, my family ed us and gave us the privilege to of India, or are immune to them,
was eager upon arrival to assimilate the become citizens, we felt for the but because they long for the
American way of life. first time that we finally be- unique and cherished relation-
It was my mother who introduced me to longed somewhere. As a result, ships with family and friends, sub-
my future husband. Introductions by elders during the first few years in this stitutes for which they cannot find
are practically unheard of in my culture, country, I was eager to absorb in their comfortable, rich and ma-
but, I discovered, are common practice in my newly acquired American terial lives abroad. Having spent
Ravi’s tradition. Before our first date, I start- culture and become a part of it. time with Ravi’s family and
ed recounting what I knew about India and Thus, I had difficulty under- Maternal blessing: Ravi’s mother applies kumkum to Jane’s fore- friends, I observed those unique
Indian people. I remembered a slogan pop- standing why Ravi wanted to head as part of the traditional engagement ceremonies relationships with their late din-
ular at some point in my Soviet history: hold on to his culture. ners and long conversations where
“Hindu, Russi, bhai-bhai” (“Hindus and I accepted Ravi’s marriage proposal after I was happy to be engaged, but new someone is always in the kitchen feeding the
Russians are brothers”), but I did not know all. I was pleasantly surprised when his fam- thoughts were nagging in the back of my nonstop array of relatives; with the all-night
then what it meant. When I was a child, my ily expressed no reservations about Ravi’s mind: “Would I lose my own individuality chatter and laughter; with puja every morn-
younger cousin and I saw a movie, “Sita and marrying someone that was not their own. and culture by marrying Ravi? Have I come ing and visits to a temple; with firecrackers
Gita,” and were utterly impressed by the As Ravi told me later, his parents and siblings to America to suddenly be submerged into of Dipavali and the joyous dances and cele-
heroine who walked barefoot on broken were content that he was about to marry a another foreign culture that I know nothing bration. I envied Ravi for having friends that
glass to reach her beloved. As a little girl, I non-Indian girl as long as it would make him about and that has nothing to do with the he had not seen for six years, but with whom
was fascinated with handsome Prime Minis- happy. Ravi’s father calculated our astrologi- land I have chosen to live in?” he could still share everything, and who
p h o t o s c o u r t e s y j a n e s r i va s tava

ter Rajiv Gandhi and his graceful, stylish cal compatibility, concluded that we were a At our wedding, the disc jockeys played would always be there for him should he
Italian wife. I knew of the capital of India, good match and presented us with the ap- Hindi, Punjabi and Jewish music, and we need any help. I observed Ravi’s large family
Delhi, and a few major cities—Bombay, Cal- propriate dates for the wedding. My family, danced bhangra and “Hava Nagila” well into and a special relationship he has with each
cutta and Madras—that sounded as exotic as however, with the exception of my mother, the night. Our Russian, Jewish and Indian of his brothers and sisters: the older ones are
India’s ancient past. I certainly had heard of needed some time and persuasion. guests quickly united in their shared love of respected as elders, the younger ones are
the Kamasutra and the Taj Mahal. I knew Ravi’s parents arrived from India to con- merry celebrations, music and dance. looked after, teased with and given orders.
that India was a vast and poor country. Like duct our engagement. It was understood And so my real immersion into Ravi’s cul- I felt that everyone in the household sin-
other Russians, I believed Hindus had many that I had to wear a sari for the ceremony. ture has begun. It starts on Sundays with lis- cerely and graciously accepted me. Ravi’s
Gods and were generally “idol worshipers.” When I told Ravi’s mother through a trans- tening to Indian classical music (“morning mother, a small, slender woman, behaved
When informal dating suddenly grew into lator that I did not know how to wear a sari, music,” as Ravi calls it) or devotional music shyly with me. She wanted to know me bet-
serious talks about marriage, Ravi explained she said that my mom would show me. She and ends with a Hindi movie in the evening. ter but did not speak English. Often we
to me that even though he wanted to marry Engagement, Indian style: Ravi and Jane after their engagement was formalized; Ravi’s ex- assumed that moms of every culture knew It lingers into the week with playing a good would sit down with a designated translator
me, I ought to consider his proposal very tended family greet their daughter-in-law to be at Ravi’s parent’s home in Lucknow, India how to wear a sari. So, there we were, stand- deal of Hindi music. Hindi movies are al- and talk to each other. She silently under-

62 h i n d u i s m t o d ay j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3 j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 63

c o u r t e s y j a n e s r i va s tava
Baby Baruk at age one: Ravi and Jane with with their son at their Georgia home
stood that I felt a bit out of place, that I was
bothered by the surroundings: the dust and
the dirt and very spicy food the family was
accustomed to preparing. My mother-in-law
tried to make my stay as pleasant as possible.
She had been observing me and had started
to like my quiet personality and shy and re-
spectful manner of talking with people.
Tradition and religion take an important
part in Ravi’s parents’ house in Lucknow.
When we first arrived, Ravi’s mother and
the sisters-in-law performed the homecom-
ing ceremony. The family would attend the
Hanuman temple, and I would tag along.
One morning Ravi’s mother performed Chi-
tragupta puja. It was explained to me that
my mother-in-law would like me to write a
short note to Lord Ram, as was the tradition.
Even though I did not practice Judaism,
having been born Jewish, I thought that I
could not actively participate in non-Jewish
religious ceremonies. Mistakenly, I thought
that maybe my mother-in-law was trying to
convert me into a Hindu. Only later did I
learn that Indian people do not try to con-
vert anyone, unlike Christians, for example.
In fact, respect and tolerance of other reli-
gions is one of the premises of Hinduism.
And how could my mother-in-law under-
stand my reservations when she equally par-
ticipated in Muslim and Christian religious
celebrations without giving up her own?
Having now lived with my husband for
four-and-a-half years, his culture is natural-
64 h i n d u i s m t o d ay j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3
ly becoming a part of me. My knowledge of
Indian contemporary culture sometimes
tops those of my fellow Indians. I participate
in discussions about Indian movies and mu-
sic, as well as viewing and listening sessions.
I can show off my equal familiarity of the
old movies, such as “Ram, Teri Ganga Meli,”
and the newest release, like “Dil Chahta
Hei.” I am familiar with the latest singers
and musicians, stay on top of Bollywood gos-
sips and enjoy watching Hritik Roshan and
Salman Khan flex their muscles on the
screen, like any other Indian woman.
While my husband’s weekend music se-
lection does not usually fit my morning
mood, as I need something faster and liveli-
er to wake me up, I have learned to enjoy
most of the Indian music and movies. In
fact, I would rather listen to Indian classical
music than some Western classical music. I
have discovered that if you are exposed to
something new long enough you learn to ap-
preciate it. And it has happened to me: all
my senses have opened up, embraced, and
started to like Indian things. My ears have
become keener and have learned to listen to
the music. My tastes have learned to use and
combine the spices and even crave them. I
have found socializing with Indian people
more fulfilling than with Russians or people
from my newly acquired American culture.
I cook a russified version of the Indian food
that entails liberal usage of most of the pop-
ular spices with minimal amounts of red
pepper. My husband says that he likes my
cooking (but I say he simply does not have a
choice in the matter).
Our marriage presents more challenges
than an average intercultural marriage, as
we are not only working on improving it,
learning to love and respect each other more
every day, but constantly gaining knowledge
of each other’s cultures, family relationships
and ways of life. It is enriching and fun to be
in an intercultural marriage: we study each
other’s languages, read and discuss literature
and history, familiarize each other with mu-
sic and art. We laugh at each other’s English
accents and occasional misunderstandings,
cumbersome Hindi and Russian speech,
and create our own code words when speak-
ing English. We discover every day that,
notwithstanding our racial and geographical
differences, our souls, ways of life, opinions
and backgrounds are incredibly similar. It
seems that I have always known that I could
never find the same closeness with an
American man and, therefore, instinctively
chose Ravi. My husband has also helped me
reconnect with my own culture. Paradoxi-
cally, I am now more connected with my
Russian culture while being married to my
Indian husband than I was when I first
came to America.
When we were picking the name for our
baby, we found many Hindu and Jewish
names that sounded similar. We chose the
name “Baruk” that means “blessed” in He-
brew (Baruch) and “responsible” or “lifting
the load” in Hindi (Bharuka). More chal-
lenges await our intercultural household as
we bring up our son. How do we raise our
child in both Russian Jewish and Hindu tra-
ditions? How do we make him a citizen of
the world, open to embrace other cultures
and proud of his own heritage? Do we teach
him either Hindu or Jewish religious tradi-
tion or both? Do we let him choose a reli-
gious teaching for himself? We look forward
to facing these important questions. ∏π
The Author
Jane Srivas-
tava holds a
bachelor’s de-
gree from Vil-
nius State
University,
Lithuania and
a law degree
from the Uni-
versity of Al-
bany, New
York.
e-mail: janesrivas-
tava@hotmail.com
Notables
ere are four sweet little
books by Dr. Rama Pemmaraju
Rao: Be “Self” Centered (not self-
centered); God is Simple, Every-
thing Else is Complex; Beneath the Um-
brella’s Edge: An Intimate Dialogue with
the Divine Mother; and Raindrops Upon the Parched Fields of My Heart
(1st Books Library publishers, USA, 2001 us$9.95 each). Each gives an in-
timate look inside one man’s personal spiritual journey. Written in a semi-
diary form, one almost feels like a voyager while reading Rao’s intimate
thoughts, his personal reflections on life, dharma, good conduct and God.
An engaging introduction for any spiritual seeker.
1st books library, 2595 vernal pike, bloomington, in 47404 usa.
phone: 1-812-339-6000 web: www.1stbooks.com.
The Basics of Hinduism
society of abundance in truth
rom the vast library of the there are four useful appendixes. A
Idiot’s Guide series comes a well new word glossary, who’s who in Hin-
-done look at Hinduism. Pundit duism, additional reading and a good
Vamadeva Shastri calls The Com- Hindu resource list provide seekers
plete Idiot’s Guide to Hinduism by excellent information to explore. En-
Linda Johnson (408 pages, Alpha compassing the fact that “Hinduism is
Books publishers, USA, not a “one size fits all” religion,
2002, us$18.95) “The best and there is something in it
introduction and overview for everyone, Johnson’s
of the Hindu religion avail- book gives an excellent
BOOKS able in English today.” picture of a vast and
This book is humorous, seemingly contradictory
Sacred Poetry yet enormously informative
(including references to
Hinduism Today) and
religion. From the “new
word alert” to quotes from
sages, old and new, this
full of interesting fac- book will make you
ks
toids. Besides the excel- chuckle while you learn.
alpha boo
By Tara Katir, Kapaa, Hawaii lent chapters on what
the complete idiot’s guide to hin-
he ancient practices of yoga and hindu Hindus believe, Hindu duism, alpha books, 201 west 103rd
philosophy, experiencing the summit of philosoph- worship, lifestyle and Hin- street, indianapolis, indiana 46290 usa.
web: www.idiotsguides.com.
ical truths, that God and man are one, and one duism in today’s world,
man’s personal reflections of a spiritual journey
form a unique perspective on Hindu spirituality in the
book, The Song of Ribhu (759 pages, Society of Abid-
ance in Truth publishers, United States, 2000, us$39). Journey to Mount Kailash
This scripture is profoundly metaphysical, yet poetic, in
the style of the Tirumantiram. It boldly says that God he mystical mount kailash and Subramuniya,” notes Nilesh Nath-
and man are one. An exposition on Advaita set in the is the source of four of India’s wani, author of the delightful travel-
midst of the epic Sivarahasya, The Song of Ribhu is an mighty rivers—Karnali, Brahma- ogue, Kailash Mansarovar, Diary of a
articulate interpretation of Sanatana Dharma’s deepest putra, Indus and Sutlej and is one Pilgrim (99 pages, New Age Books
truths. The history of Sage Ribhu is obscure, but it is of the most sacred pilgrimage sites for publishers, India, 2002, Rs. 195).
believed the teachings within this scripture date to Hindus, Tibetan Buddhists, Jains and What follows is an enthralling tale of
Vedic times. “This makes it possible to say that Ribhu Bompos (Tibet’s pre-Buddhist reli- not only the expected hardships, but
must have lived during very ancient times, but impos- gion). The many monasteries around the life-changing spiritual experiences
sible to ascertain even an approximate date.” Ribhu ex- Kailash and the Lake Mansarovar are one encounters on a journey to these
pounds: “The world and beings and others seen in Con- testimony to the continuity of religious divine lands. Nathwani’s openly per-
sciousness are not apart from Brahman, which is of the passion that yet resides there. “For sonal account of the pilgrimage is ac-
nature consciousness. I am not apart from that Brah- Hindus, Kailash is the Sumeru Parvat, companied by stunning photos of
man. Likewise, Brahman is not apart from me.” the spiritual center of the world Kailash, Lake Mansarovar and Mount
around which all the earthly powers Everest.
society of abidance in truth, 1834 ocean street,
santa cruz, california 95060 usa 831-425-7287. revolve. Kailash/Mansarovar is the kailash mansarovar, diary of a pilgrim, new
age books, a-44 naraina phase i, new delhi 110
web: www.booksbeyondwords.com abode of Lord Siva, Parvati, Ganesha 028 india. web: www.newagebooksindia.com.
j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 65
 a l l p h o t o s c o u r t e s y nata na k a i r a l i
Ammanur Madhava Chakyar perform Ku- of puppetry—shadow or tholpavakoothu, Thespian’s reality: (top left) G. Venu as Sur-
H E R I TAG E tiyattam. “Imagine the impact he had on me glove or pavakathakali and stringed or nool panakha in the play, Surpanakhankam; (top
at the height of his power,” Venu told the pavakoothu. He is supported in his efforts right) Ranjith Ramachandran being made up

Dramatic Rescue in Kerala Sunday Express. “He was full of vigor, mag-
nificent. I had only one thought drumming
in my brain. Here is everything I want, the
by Sangeet Natak Akademi, World Theatre
Project of Sweden, Japan Foundation, San-
skriti Pravah, and by foreign fans who out-
as Lakshmana

of the dance forms, and researched their

No need for stage special effects when these versatile actors take over
n englishman, goes the story,
is walking his dog in a Kerala vil-
lage when he encounters a Kutiyat-
tam actor. The dog snarls at the ac-
tor, then starts to chase him. The
actor reaches down for an imaginary stone
and hurls it at the dog. The dog collapses,
howling in pain. Disbelieving what he has
just seen, the Englishman demands a
demonstration. The actor assumes the role
of Ravana lifting Mount Kailash. Hoisting
the imaginary mountain high over his head,
the mime suddenly hurls it at the English-
man, who faints dead away of fright. Those
who have seen Kutiyattam dance can attest
to the mesmerizing impact of the actors, as
would the Englishman, had he survived.
Their art is the origin of Kerala’s better
known, elaborate and colorful Kathakali.
It was in 1975 that G. Venu, then an ac-
complished Kathakali performer, first saw
goal of my life, this is the ultimate thing.”
Decades later, 85-year old Ammanur
teaches at the research and training center,
Natana Kairali, established in 1975 by Venu,
age 57, and Venu’s wife, Nirmala. They have
seven advanced students, including their
daughter Kapila. At least one of them
walked away from a promising business ca-
reer for the dance. Venu’s work extends con-
siderably beyond training students. The cen-
ter’s team has rescued entire art forms from
extinction, including Kerala’s various styles
number the locals at the annual Kutiyattam
festival in Natanakairali. He’s taken the
troupe on tours of Europe and Southeast
Asia, and consults for UNESCO.
Nirmala Panicker, Venu’s wife, is a scholar
and expert dancer of Mohiniyattam. She has
researched and written several books, in-
cluding Mudras in Kathakali, Production of
a Play in Kutiyattam and Classical Dance
Tradition in Nangiars. She and Venu have
recorded in dance notation and on video the
elaborate hand gestures and eye expressions
origins and interpretations in Vedic and
Agamic literature. More recently, they’ve
branched out to studies of comparative act-
ing techniques, such as exploring the hand
gestures of Chinese dance.
Venu has appealed for funds to continue
their video documentation of dance, as well
as to microfilm and digitize the entire col-
lection of palm-leaf manuscripts of Guru
Ammannur’s family. ∏π
g. venu, director, natana kairali, ammannur chakyar
madhom, irinjalakuda, 680 121, trichur district,
kerala, india. e-mail: venuji@satyam.net.in

| || | | 7 | || | | K–200 8 KODAK | || | | 9 | || | | 10 | || | | KODAK 11 K–200 | || | | 12

7 GURU AMMANNUR —> 7 A 8 AMMANNUR AS RAVANA —> 8 A 9 G. VENU —> 9 A 10 10 NIRMALA PANIKER —> 1 0 A 11 NAMBIAR AS RAMA, APARNA AS SITA—> 11 A 12 KAPILA AS MOHINIYATTAM —> 1 2 A

66 h i n d u i s m t o d ay j a n u a r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3 j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 3 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 67
 Deities Gilded in 24 K. Gold Ask for this Booklet—it’s Free!
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74 75
 JUNE TO AUGUST ENDOWMENT CONTRIBUTIONS

Kauai Aadheenam Monastic Endowment Kumbhalavalai Ganesha Temple Yatrikadevi Shivam $ 50.00
Stephanie Corgatelli $ 207.50 Indra Dhaksinamurthi $ 45.00 Indivar Sivanathan 108.00
Gunasekaran Kandasamy 104.58 Manoharan Navaratnarajah 75.00 Jutikadevi Sivaraja 108.00
Arul Karttikeya 2,401.63 Satheesan Sudhakaran 15.00 Sivadas Sivarajah 145.00
P. Kumar & Shanti Mehta 300.00 Total 135.00 Trent Smail 500.00
Other Donations 6,504.27 Vignesh Sukumaran 25.00
INDIA ENDOWMENTS ACTIVITY Total 9,517.98 Hindu Orphanage Endowment Fund
Anonymous 54.00
Thanaletchmi Umamaheswaran
Vayudeva Varadan
32.59
45.00
Iraivan Temple Endowment Ajit S Adhopia 112.47 Saravan Veylan 67.15
P. Kumar & Shanti Mehta 300.00 Ashish Suresh Chitnis 1,405.00 Total 4,787.74
Sivadas Sivarajah 40.00 Lila Shakti Devi 50.00
PURI MONASTERIES Other Donations
Total
30,000.00
30,340.00
Ajit V. Gokhale
Eric Jautee
101.00
25.00
Mathavasi Travel Fund
Kailash Sivam Dhaksinamurthi 120.00
Gunasekaran Kandasamy 104.58
Hindu Heritage Endowment has established a perpetual fund for the rejuvenation and care of Puri's Kauai Aadheenam Annual Archana Fund Ramakumar & Sailaja Kosuru 40.00 Udayan Care Endowment Fund
Somasundaram Caremben 0.76 Mohana Das Krishnan 13.00 Christian Langers 150.00
once-thriving monasteries. Use of the income from the fund will be supervised by Shankaracharya Sukanta Caremben 0.76 Christian Langers 150.00 Jutikadevi Sivaraja 108.00
Yajataceyon Caremben 3.03 Dev Mahadevan 17.00 Richard Stocker 21.00
Sri Nischalanand Saraswati and his successors. This year, grants totalling Rs. 2,400 were given. Akileiswaran Samuthiran 2.69 P. Kumar & Shanti Mehta 300.00 Total 279.00
Jayasutha Samuthiran 3.76 Natraj Narayanswami 51.00
Devaladevi Sivaceyon 2.61 Indra Pal 100.00 Saivite Hindu Scriptural Fund for Visually Impaired
KERALA TEMPLE TRUST FUND Nutanaya Sivaceyon
Hemavalli Sivalingam
2.61
0.79
Rama Pemmaraju Rao
Ganesan & Rajalakshmi Ramalingam
24.50
25.00
Rohit M. Iyer 100.00

Kantha Ruben Sivalingam 0.79 Alex Ruberto 45.00 Sri Chandra Madhab Debnath Endowment
Shubha and Kishore Pathial of Oregon, USA, started fund #50 (present Rohini Sivalingam 0.79 Rakesh Sood 50.00 Shyamal Chandra Debnath 170.00
Javanya Skanda 4.00 Rodney & Ilene Standen 30.00
balance of $ 1,783.21) to maintain temples in Kerala that are not under a Subasene Skanda 4.00 Matthew Wieczork 135.00 Manitha Neyam Trust Fun
Total 26.59 K.D. & A.D. Williams 375.00 Bala Sivaceyon 28.72
government-managed temple trust. This year, the Trikkaikunnu Mahadeva Total 3,207.55
Hinduism Today Distribution Fund Kerala Temples
Kshetra at Northern Kottayam received its second grant of Rs. 3,840. Total 6,336.10 Suntheram Family Trust Satheesan Sudhakaran 12.50
Ramachandran Suntheram 1,000.00
K A PA L E E S H WA R A T E M P L E O R P H A N A G E Hindu Businessmen Association Trust Fund
Vel Alahan 525.00 Loving Ganesha Distribution
Kapaleeshwara Temple Orphanage Fund
Vasudevan Jayanthi 200.00
Paramaseeven Canagasaby 28.48 Christian Langers 150.00 Natraj Narayanswami 51.00
The famed Kapaleeshwara Temple of Chennai has under its auspices Vel Mahalingum
Manogaran Mardemootoo
13.63
45.45
Manoharan Navaratnarajah
Matthew Wieczork
75.00
35.00
Ganesan & Rajalakshmi Ramalingam
Rakesh Sood
100.00
50.00
the nearby Kapaleeshwara Temple Orphanage, which gives religious Vishwanaden Moorooven
Easvan Param
12.12
617.40
Total 260.00 Total 401.00

training for its residents in addition to shelter and meals. HHE offers Janaka Param
Total
25.00
1,267.08
Saiva Agama Trust
Matthew Wieczork 51.00
Manjung Hindu Sabha Orphanage Fund
Jutikadevi Sivaraja 108.00
support to this noble institution with this fund, #52, initiated by Dr. Boys School for Iraivan Priesthood Alaveddy Pasupatheeswarar Trust Fund
Satheesan Sudhakaran
Total
12.50
120.50
Jayanthi Mukundan of Liverpool. It now has a balance of $1,267.51. Indra Dhaksinamurthi
Lloyd Wes Godley
45.00
20.00
Satheesan Sudhakaran 12.50
Pazhassi Bala Endowment
This year the orphanage received Rs. 18,240 of grants. Bala Sivaceyon
Total
32.39
97.39
Thank you Gurudeva Fund
Anonymous 51.00
Ganesan & Rajalakshmi Ramalingam
Theresa Sparks
25.00
50.00
Vel Alahan 51.00 Total 75.00
U D AY A N C A R E , N E W D E L H I Kauai Aadheenam Mathavasi Medical Fund
Gowri Nadason 90.00
Maria Cristina Berisso
Ashish Suresh Chitnis
150.00
1,008.00 PIF Trust
Thomas J. Rowe 80.00 Shyamadeva Dandapani 101.00 Gowri Nadesan 30.00
Udayan Care is a New Delhi-based voluntary organisation committed Vayudeva Varadan
Matthew Wieczork
27.00
90.00
Amarnath Devarmanai
Lila Shakti Devi
324.00
51.00
Sadhunathan Nadesan
Tejadeva Nataraja
30,000.00
41.98
to sustainable social development by running homes for abandoned or Total 287.00 Panshula Ganeshan
Larry Gibson
72.00
100.00
Satya Palani
Chudikadevi Saravan
75.00
30.00
orphaned children. Udayan Care fund, #42, has a balance of $4,623.97 Tirunavukkarasu Nayanar Gurukulam
Padmini Saravanapavan 25.00
Ravichandran Krishnan
Silvarajoo Muniandy
51.00
21.00
Barathy Sockanathan
Total
20.00
155.00
and gave Rs. 4,800 of grants this year in support of this noble institution. Aran Sendan
Total
51.00
76.00
Manoharan Navaratnarajah
Satya Palani
150.00
30.00 Total Contributions $88,938.13
Additional information is available at www.udayancare.org. Sri Subramuniya Kottam
Shanta Devi Periasamy
Deva Rajan
345.00
1,001.00 Funds at Market Value August 31, 2002
Andrew Schoenbaum 20.00 Jiva Rajasankara 51.00 Total Endowment Funds $3,134,834.14
PA Z H A S S I B A L A M A N D I R A M , K E R A L A Satheesan Sudhakaran
Total
12.50
32.50
Thomas J. Rowe
Alex Ruberto
80.00
45.00
Total Pooled Income Funds $185,251.88

Padmini Saravanapavan 25.00 Grand Total $3,320,086.02

The Pazhassi Balamandiram in Nalloornadu, Mananthavady, which
serves more than 30 residents and raises them in Hindu values and
traditions, received a second annual grant of Rs. 10,560. The HHE
staff is gratified to support this worthy orphanage. It is fund #54
with a balance of $5,193.04.
OTHER ENDOWMENTS
Other endowments also received annual grants: 1) Rs. 11,040 to Abirami Amman Temple, Tiru-
kadaiyur, which provides a monthly archana on each full moon day, 2) Rs. 11,040 to Iyarappan
Temple, Thiruvaiyaru, which sponsors a monthly puja and feeding on Arudra nakshatra day,
3) Rs. 4,320 to the Tirumular Sannidhi in Thiruvavadhuthurai for shrine upkeep, and 4) Rs. 4,320
to Vishwamata Gayatri Trust, New Delhi, of Swami Pragyanand, for general support.
A N A LT E R N AT I V E T O D I R E C T D O N AT I O N S
Normally, when a donor in the USA gives to Hindu institutions in India or another country, and
does so directly, he does not qualify for an income tax charitable deduction. If you are in this
situation, do consider HHE as an alternative which provides you with a tax deduction, while the
institution of your choice still receives the same amount of gift. At the same time, an endowment
at HHE would build, providing permanent support for the institution. Write or e-mail for fur-
ther details. Our representatives in India are Tiru L. Nellaiappan, Chennai, for the South and
Srimat Rajiv Malik, New Delhi, for the North. Grants to institutions in India are made through
HHE's affiliate organization, Sanmarga Trust India, which provides additional documentation
and oversight over the funds.
MISSION STATEMENT: Hindu Heritage Endowment is a publicly supported, charitable organiza-
tion recognized as tax exempt by the IRS on April 22, 1994. Employer ID 99-0308924. Founded by
Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, its philanthropic mission is to provide secure, professionally
managed financial support for institutions and religious leaders of all lineages of Sanatana Dharma.
PROFESSIONAL ADVISORS: Halbert, Hargrove/Russell, Investment Counsel; Alvin G. Buchi-
gnani, Esq., Legal Counsel; and Hirose, Kato and Co., CPA. HHE is a member of the Council on
Foundations, an association of 1,931 foundations which interprets relevant law and management
and investment principles.
I WANT TO PARTICIPATE. WHERE SHOULD I SEND MY DONATION? You can send your gift to
an existing fund, create a new endowment or request information through the address below. Do-
nations may be made online at www.hheonline.org or use the HHE tear-out card in this magazine
to join our family of benefactors who are Strengthening Hinduism Worldwide. Thank you.
HINDU HERITAGE ENDOWMENT
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$20 incl. s&h in USA.
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http://home.att.net/~swamisamarth • mukund@juno.com • 504-443-5633
81
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• Sri Sivan Temple (Geylang East) • Sri Vairavimada • The Rig Veda and the History of India
Kaliamman Temple(Toa Payoh Lor. 8) • Sri Ruthira • How I Became a Hindu: My Discovery of Vedic Dharma
Kaliamman Temple (Depot Rd) • Sri Arasakesari Temple
(Woodlands Rd) • Sri Vadapathira Kaliamman Temple Courses from the Institute:
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 Murlitharan,
O My Son
by V. Maniam, Ipoh, Malaysia

O My Son
You left your mother and me in pain
So please let us see you in the plain;
You gave us pride and fame when you were here.
But left us too soon without any fear.
O My Son
Your action in silence was great;
So give us the strength and peace which were nil of late.
Your principles and dignity were of no match to any;
If you could share with us for a penny
O My Son
You taught us the one that all souls should do,
That is to pray and believe in what you do.
Your eyes were sharp and clear and told us
What thousands of words could not have said to us.
O My Son
Hope to see you as soon as we could;
So, please be there when we see you as soon as we could.
Please, O God give our son the place he deserves
Because of all the qualities he conserves.

✁
YES, I WANT TO HELP BUILD THE IRAIVAN TEMPLE !
TO ORDER: by phone, call (808) 822-3012, X 237 Charge: ❏ Master Card ❏ Visa ❏ Amex ❏ My check is enclosed.
E-mail: iraivan@hindu.org / fax (808) 822-4351
Card No. Exp.
OR complete and mail this form to the address below
POSTERS- $15 USD each, ✱ 2 or more $12.50 each Your Signature:
If contributing by credit card, enter your name below as it appears on card
Aum: (QTY) with message, (QTY) no message
Monks: (QTY) with message, (QTY) no message
FIRST NAME LAST NAME
Total Posters Total Contribution: $
GREETING CARDS- $24 USD per dz, ✱ 2 or more $20 dz MAILING ADDRESS
Aum: (QTY) with message, (QTY) no message
CITY STATE POSTAL CODE COUNTRY
Monks: (QTY) with message, (QTY) no message
Total Greeting card sets Total Contribution: $
PHONE FAX E-MAIL
*Please contact us Subtotal $
for International USA & Canada* Shipping add 10% $ MAKE checks in name of and mail to:
shipping fees Total amount enclosed $ Iraivan Hindu Temple, 107 Kaholalele Road, Kapaa, HI 96746 USA
pg 86 DigitDh JFM03 § 10/30/02 4:02 PM Page 86

Visit www.hindu.org
ARTS the page for a tour that E D U C AT I O N

Carnatic has understandable, well

written descriptions of For the Kids
Music the nuances of Carnatic

hether you are

music, supplemented
with audio clips. To
complete your musical
A s a parent, you
have probably been
challenged with finding
W an advanced Car- experience, venture to a how-to guide to instill
h i n d u i s m t o d ay

natic singer in search of Bhajana Sampradaya, good values in your chil-

lyrics or simply a “Car- www.bhajanasamprada dren, but been unsuc-
natic Dummy” with re- ya.com, and immerse cessful. The website,
gard to this sophisticat- yourself in the realms of www.balagokulam.org,
ed Indian music system, the Bhagavathas, the has taken on this task,
Coriander seeds like this are given to worshipers you will find many of composers of these reli- presenting a magical
the answers you seek at gious songs. The site is learning plan that is de-
ENVIRONMENT www.karnatik.com. filled with over a thou- signed to ignite the
Blessings of Seed Start with the button
“New Visitors: Click
sand lyrics and transla-
tions to add to your mu-
spark of divinity and
bring forth the God-like
Here” at the top right of sical repertoire. qualities within each

D evotees visiting siva temples in pune,

India, are in for a special treat. Once a week,
devotees get plant seeds as their prasad (blessed
child. Balagokulam was
developed by Hindu
Swayamsevak Sangh
items) instead of the usual delicious food. The (HSS) as a source for
message is that God is omnipresent—in trees, parents and kids to learn
w w w. b h a j a na s a m p r a d aya . c o m

flowers and leaves. The seeds are of plants for about their cultural
both food and decoration, such as drumsticks, roots, Hindu values and
tulsi, coriander, aster, zennia, dahlia, calendula to establish a sense of
and more. It is organized by the temple authori- service to humankind.
ties and a city-based organization, Research and Highlights of the site are
Action in Natural Wealth Administration Hindu-oriented stories,
(www.ranwa.org). School children and eco-sensi- games, arts and crafts, a
tive people (most of them elderly) are volunteer- children’s e-zine, Day
ing to distribute the seeds while Ellora Medicals Camp plans, and an ex-
Four Eyes Foundation is extending their support cellent parents’ resource
to the rapidly expanding project. Click here for an in-depth study of Carnatic music section.

RESOURCE look at what is happen-

Good News ing in the Motherland.

Each story is verified for
authenticity, with links
w w w. g o o d n e w s i n d i a . c o m

H ave you ever and contact information

w w w. b a l a g o k u l a m . o r g

wanted to sit down at the bottom so you can

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was—well—just good
news? Forget the nay-
sayers and dooms-day-
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(www.goodnewsindia
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better place. Finally, a site on the good news in India Kids’ learning site